A Lifetime in a Year
by raok
Summary: Starting post Homecoming ep.Zoe's continued attempts to try to be a part of Bluebell while juggling her worries of going back to NY stunted, over the remaining months of her year in 'bama.Wade being Wade with Tance's thoughts about the doc poking at him.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

Hi all! This is my first Heart of Dixie fic so please read & review - let me know what you think :)

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or anything Hart of Dixie related. The CW & their peoples do.

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><p><strong>Zoe POV<strong>

Judson had been nice, friendly, polite… all of the things one would use to describe a typical southern gentleman. Up until he had slept with my best friend.

But truth be told, even the few times he and I had gone out the conversations had been mildly entertaining at best. We talked about work over coffee or our childhood pets over dinner. Over all it had been like pulling teeth, which was the exact opposite of what I'd been hoping for.

It had been nothing like the night a few weeks ago with George.

In fact none of the moments I'd had so far in Bluebell with anyone else could compare to the few I'd had with George. We just… clicked. He understood that there were more things, better things, outside of Bluebell. Like diners that were open later than 8pm and stores that served alcohol on Sundays.

And I knew nothing was going to come of me gaggling over George like some high-schooler, but that didn't mean I needed Shelley reminding me every two minutes - especially when it was a passing whisper in the ear. Do you even know how annoying that can be on a hot day after a bad date (or three)? It's like a humming bird but with the buzzing sound of a really big fly.

It was Sunday morning, and while the entire town of Bluebell was at church, I was enjoying the morning warmth before it got to be too overwhelming. I was taking my time, making toast and coffee at Lavon's when I heard the door swing open.

"Mornin' doc," Wade grinned, waltzing in and grabbing the container of orange juice from the fridge.

"Morning…" I returned, a bit confused by his presence. I always assumed he attended church like everyone else. "Why aren't you at church?"

"Why aren't you?"

That was a dumb question. "Because I'm not really religious."

He shrugged. "And what if I said neither was I?"

I scoffed, plating my toast and reaching around him to reopen the fridge to get the butter. "Right."

"Why's that so hard to believe?"

"Let's just say I call bullshit," I said, scraping the butter onto the dry bread.

"Well… maybe the other reason is I had a lady friend over and we just woke up a little late for mass."

Bulls eye.

I shook my head. "Tsk, tsk, missing church for premarital sex. Isn't that the direct route to hell?"

"Not any faster than never going, according to the Reverend."

Touché.

I spun around going to grab one of the coffee mugs, but there were none left on the bottom cabinet. I heard Wade chuckling behind me, and felt the heat from his shirtless torso as he reached over me grabbing me a cup from the second shelf. "There ya go doc," he said, taking a step back and setting the cup down beside me. "I believe that gets me Good Samaritan points with the big guy upstairs."

I rolled my eyes, pouring the coffee and trying to shake off the goosebumps I felt at being so close to Wade. I mean it was practically 80 degrees outside – no one should have goosebumps when it's 80 out. "Not when you brag about it."

He flashed the half crooked grin and shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not, but I'll take my chances this morning."

**Wade POV**

Why I felt the need to lie to Zoe Hart about skipping church because I had brought a girl home made no damn sense to me, even hours after I said it. But I did.

The truth was I'd spent the majority of the night trying to convince my pop that the Vietkong were not hiding in the woods and it was okay to just calm down and head on home; which meant I didn't get in til almost 5am.

But Zoe would believe a pig gave birth to a hamster she was so green out here, that it didn't really much matter what excuse I made. Not that she cared, or I owed her any explanation. She didn't belong to me and I didn't belong to her.

But ya had to feel a little sorry for the poor thing and what happened between that bobble-headed Barbie friend of hers and the vet. I hadn't been lying when I'd told her I thought he was gay; I mean they'd been out more than once and he hadn't tried anything beyond a peck on the cheek? Complete flamer if you ask me.

Now if I had been in that position, nothing would have stopped me from kissing her the minute I picked her up at the carriage house. Not because I'm that into her or anything, but because first kisses can be awkward, and even though really it wouldn't have been the first kiss, it would have been a first date kiss – and its better just to get through it at the beginning so there are no hesitations later on.

Yea, I definitely would have the doc pressed up against her door for a cool minute before we took off on our first date.

But that doesn't even matter because even though Miss New York didn't pan out with the vet, Tance was right, she'd never end up with a guy like me. She was the kinda girl that would date the guys that landed up as business men in Mobile, or real estate agents that were successful, or just guys that went to college. Hell, she might even settle for pining after the magnificent can-do-no-wrong George Tucker for her year, and then book it out of here and leave the practice to Breeland to rule with a mighty fist.

My point being: women like Zoe Hart do not stay in towns like Bluebell for guys like me – end of story.

And let me tell you, coming from a guy that could have any woman within a 50 mile radius – and that's being modest – knowing that the one girl you want most you can't have, and that she lives 20 yards away…

Well that just about makes every day seem like a Bluebell heat wave.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **

**Here is another chapter! Thanks to Ria Lucas AKA Xayian for the review of the last chapter. **

**Read & review. Feedback is greatly appreciated.**

**Once again - I still don't own anything Hart of Dixie related including but not limited to the characters**

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><p><strong>Zoe POV<strong>

One of the greatest things about New York was the anonymity of it. You could lose yourself in the city with a snap of your fingers. You could shop for hours, ignoring all cell phone calls and have a day that was all about you until you finally got home completely exhausted from carrying around a dozen bags from high end designers.

In Bluebell there was no anonymity. Everyone knew who was where at every minute of every day. If CNN was started in Atlanta, my money was that the Enquirer was started right here in this town between the gossiping and the nose sniffing.

I just wanted a day where I could get lost, and not because I didn't know that if I turned left onto 4th street I'd wind up at Mr. Murray's Farm instead of the small dirt road that headed home. Unfortunately that wasn't possible; one because of the town I lived in and two, because I didn't have the bus so everyone always saw what direction I was headed.

But it wasn't even like I had time to find a place to get lost _in_. Dr. Breeland was all too happy to remind me every morning so far this week that I had until the end of the week to get five patients. Which normally wouldn't be difficult, but since Dr. Breeland was back from his fall hunting trip, everyone was back to requesting him, and giving the ole _'__I__'__d __rather __wait __to __see __Dr.__Breeland__' _followed by the stink eye. So after seven days, I still needed three new patients and it was already Thursday. I'd need two patients today and tomorrow since technically we were closed on weekends (he was on call Saturdays, me on Sundays).

Two days, three patients.

"I don't know what I'm going to do Shelley," I complained as I picked at my shrimp and fries. "Brick already has every single patient and 90% of them will only go to him. Five of the remaining ten percent aren't sick, and the other five probably don't even go to the doctors."

She gave me a bewildered expression, putting a hand on her hip. "Honey I don't know what to tell you, but if I had anything wrong, you know I'd come running to your door. I could fake a cough."

"Would you?" I asked, looking up at her with sad puppy eyes before shaking my head. "Wait, no. That's unethical. And Harland, seems like he was the epitome of medical ethics so I could probably learn a lot about having them from him even if it means I don't get the practice in the end," I sighed, giving her a smile.

"So is that a yes or no?" She asked again.

"That's a no thank you."

She smiled, scanning the room. "Well there's always Theo. Oh wait, he goes up to Mobile for that skin… issue." Her eyes continued to roam and she stopped at the bar. "Wade."

"Wade what?"

"As far as I know, Wade hasn't has a physical since… well, as far as I know. He's good and due."

I took a deep breath looking over at him where he was minding his own business and cleaning smudges off glasses. Immediately my mind went to the last time he'd been in my office; George with the arrow in his leg, Wade and his stupid wife or whatever floozy she was right by his side. What a night.

And then the time before, when he had the gash in his side, the night of the heat wave. That night had almost ruined everything. But it was hard not to get stuck on the image of his bare chest and the way it felt under my touch – at least until he called me on it. Then it was easy to wrap up and pretend I felt nothing. There was nothing worse than being personally humiliated and embarrassed by one of the few people in town that typically only did it in jest.

"Earth to Zoe, earth to Zoe," I heard Shelley repeat. I spun my head around and looked up at her. She had that knowing grin on her face. "So I take it Wade is your man?"

"I think he's a solid choice."

**Wade POV**

"I know I'm irresistible, but why were you staring at me for so long?" I smirked, moving onto the next beer glass as I saw Zoe hop onto a bar stool out of the corner of my eye.

She puffed out a laugh. I couldn't tell if it was because she'd been caught and was embarrassed or was trying to deny it. Either way she ignored it. "You need a physical."

Now I was interested.

I looked up at her, putting the dishtowel and glass down as I took a step to the left and leaned my arms on the bar top closer to her "Oh do I? A thorough one?" I couldn't help but grin. It was all over town how close she was to sealing the deal and screwing Breeland out of being able to buy her out.

"Ew, don't use medical terminology as sexual innuendo," she grimaced and I laughed. "Plus it makes me sound like a prostitute."

I laughed out loud, biting my lip. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to suggest your practice was some kind of brothel."

"Thank you," she nodded. "So about the physical, Shelley said she doesn't think you've ever had one."

I looked above the doc's head at Shelley who was obviously listening while wiping down the tables, but not looking at us. "She said that, huh?"

"Yea, so I figured this would be the perfect time. You get a physical and I get one more check off my patient list. A win-win."

"A win-win huh?"

She nodded as if it was as clear as a sunny summer day.

I thought about it a second.

First, Shelley had been wrong; I got physicals, annually even – from Harland. He had been my family's doc since I can remember. He even delivered me, I think. Shelley didn't know what the heck she was talking about. Unless she knew she was pulling Zoe's leg, just to get her over here.

Second, if the doc didn't get these three patients in time she'd leave before her year was up because she'd have no practice. Breeland didn't give two ducks about her, so he'd probably make some grand gesture of letting her stay on as a doctor but make it clear who was top dog – if that. And hell if I was about to be one more person pushing Zoe towards the big city.

"Sign me up doc. When's my appointment?"

**Zoe POV**

"I just need you to register with Addie and we can get the exam started," I told him as we walked down the main hallway of the office. It was nearing closing hours, and there weren't any patients waiting to be seen.

"Wade Kinsella, what have you gone and done to yourself now?" Addie teased as he approached. Instead of following him the rest of the way, I made the sharp left into my office and went about grabbing my stethoscope, gathering the basic tools necessary for a physical, and scrubbing my hands clean. Oh and trying to remind myself I was a professional and the rapid heart beating at seeing him shirtless was the complete opposite of that.

I took a few more deep breaths before stepping back outside where he and Addie were laughing it up. I headed down the hall, taking the file from Addie with a smile. "Ready when you are," I said, directing the comment to Wade.

"Who is ever ready to get poked and prodded?" He chuckled.

I followed him as he started back down the hallway. "Then I promise to be gentle."

He turned his head around, looking confused, but grinning like the cat that ate the canary. "Well then where's the fun in that doc?"

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "I need you to get down to your um," nothing. Get down to… nothing. "Boxers. If you feel uncomfortable, there's a sheet on the exam table."

His smirk grew. "Boxers, poking and prodding – this is all starting to sound like a twisted date."

I let out a deep breath; of course he'd go there with it. I could think all the sexual things I wanted to, the difference was I didn't voice them – I didn't make crude jokes out of them. I was about to give him a few minutes of privacy to change when he went directly for his pants, dropping them before I could shut the door.

My jaw dropped. Definitely unprofessional. "I can close the door and give you some privacy," I finally spit out." Albeit a pair of dropped jeans too late.

He looked directly at me, shaking his head. "Doesn't matter none, you've seen me in about as much in the lake. Plus you're a professional. If you can't handle a guy in a pair of shorts you're in the wrong field."

I thought I could but now…

But he was right. I could handle myself. I stood up straighter, moving into the room, and shutting the door behind me as he removed his shirt. He hopped onto the exam table before kicking off his boots and socks.

I opened up his chart, noticing that Shelley had been wrong. "You do come in regularly," I said mostly to myself. "Your last physical was just before Christmas of last year."

He nodded. "I like to get them around then. It's a good reminder – Christmas, physical, presents, girls."

"In that order?" I asked, skimming over what his notes said and paying a bit more attention to what his answer was going to be, than I normally would have with a patient.

"Why, you hoping I'll ask you for a Christmas list or hoping you're on mine?"

I looked up at him and could feel myself blush both at how my eyes seemed to gravitate to his torso and at his flipped question.

"Neither. I was simply asking if you wanted me to do a round of STD tests along with the standard physical."

He shook his head. "No worry there doc; I always wear a rubber."

"Condoms break Wade. I'll do a round of tests of the most common ones just in case," I told him making a note of it in the file.

"You know just because I've slept around a lot doesn't mean I have one."

I walked over to the small sink, rewashing my hands and turned to look at him. "I know. This is just to make sure Wade. I'm not saying you're a walking genital wart or anything," I laughed, wondering why he seemed to take it so personally. "I'd do it for anyone who was sexually active."

He seemed to relax a little and leaned back, lying on the table. "So are you going to grope my side again?" He smirked, turning to look at me as I moved towards his left

**Wade POV**

For all the sex I'd had, I wasn't that great about talking about it in clinical doctor speak. Rubbers had always worked for keeping the babies at bay, so I figured it had for everything else too.

And I didn't want to find out any different; worse, I didn't want the doc to find out and then see me as someone different. So I had to be optimistic right? She seemed to brush it off, but maybe STDs were like stepping in manure here; it happened, everyone laughed, then you cleaned your shoe and all was forgotten.

Zoe took my pulse at my wrist, her brows furrowing as she reached over to check the other wrist. She moved her fingers to a different position and her face softened. "Good."

Good. Like how she looked today, in that white little tank top and black slacks. It was business appropriate for the humid air conditions here, but all I could think when I saw her in that top were her wearing it with those tiny jean shorts and having her on me.

A bit less innocent than the way her hands were on me now, feeling my sides. "Tell me if it hurts anywhere I push," she said as she poked and prodded as she promised. None of it hurt, but as she neared the elastic of my boxers I wanted to yell to stop because after the image of her in the shorts and my five second daydream, I was at full salute.

But she pulled back; obviously noticing it by the way her cheeks went pink. I waited for it, boy did I. Some comment, anything about the size, the fact it was up at all… anything, but she didn't say a word.

"Sit up please," she asked, clearing her throat as she adjusted the back of the table so I could sit a bit straighter.

I wasn't sure if she was offended by it, or just really good at being professional. And I hated not being able to figure out women – especially this one.

"Listen I'm sorry," I started, covering up what was slowly going away.

She shook her head, her tone even and serious as she checked my reflexes. "Happens all the time."

Again, was that the doc talking to make me feel better because it really did happen all the time to men, or was she making a joke or… what?

I was used to being confused around women but this one… she was a whole nother bag of somethin'.

She scribbled something down in the file once she was done tapping my elbows and knees and smiled. "Addie's going to get some blood from you and a urine sample and then you'll be all done."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"I think we should talk about this." I said, cringing when I realized that I sounded like a complete chick.

"About what?" She asked. Her shifty gaze and the way her lips pushed together gave her away. She knew what I was talking about.

I laughed a little, feeling the tension ease a bit. She was back to being awkward and I was back to having the upper hand, well sort of. "About popping a boner."

She waved her hand dismissing me. "Oh, psh. Like I said happens all the time."

"Yea," I nodded, deciding not to push it any further. She was sticking to that answer. And so I wouldn't ask anything else because if I asked more, she'd ask more.

And I wasn't ready to give her the answers I had, and there were still so many I didn't know the answers to.

What I did know was that I had to find two more people to get into her office by closing day tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:**

**Wow! Thanks for all the story alert adds and the reviews, I really appreciate them :) I'm glad you are all liking it so far. I decided to divide this chapter up into two, so it's (obviously) split at this point from tonight's episode. Hope you continue to like it though!**

**Reviews make my day :)**

**Also, still don't own anything Hart of Dixie related.**

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><p><strong>Zoe POV<strong>

"See anyone about to keel over?" I asked Wade as I sat with a beer in my hand at the bar of the Rammer Jammer after we'd left the office.

I had no idea where I was going to find two more patients in 24 hours; it seemed pretty hopeless, then again so did coming here in the first place so I couldn't count myself out just yet. No, I couldn't and I wouldn't.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Not yet, but the night is young. You'll be able to spot a few if you're lucky as the night wares on but I reckon it'll be from the liquor and not some infection."

"Who has what now?" I heard George's voice ask, and my head spun around so quickly I felt a nerve pinch in my shoulder. Ow, shit. I laughed, shaking my head. "Oh nothing, Wade and I were just joking around."

"Zoe's trying to figure out who has a mystery illness she can cure so she doesn't lose to Brick," Wade announced, pushing a beer in George's direction.

Thanks a lot buddy. Way to make me sound like some kind of Dr. Grim Reaper.

George laughed, taking a sip from the bottle and smiling at me. God he had a great smile. I mean, really great. The kind that made your heart do that triple thump thing and forget you were in a public place. "Well, wish I could help but everyone I know is fit as can be."

"What about you?" I asked. "When was your last routine exam?" His face bunched up and I knew immediately it was the wrong question to ask. "A few months ago, plus I wouldn't be able to even if it hadn't been, with Brick being my doctor and soon to be father-in-law and all."

I turned to look at both of them, a mixture of jealousy and additional worry filling my stomach. "See, in New York some would say that's a conflict of interest, seeing a family member as a patient."

They both laughed, shaking their heads as if I was the crazy one. Sometimes, especially the longer I was down here, I wasn't so sure that they weren't right.

"Alright," I sighed, moving off the chair. "I should head home and make an extensive list of possible patients to visit tomorrow."

"Alright Zoe, I'll let you know if – " George started, but Wade interrupted.

"You're gonna make a list? Of everyone in Bluebell?" He wasn't laughing outright, but I could hear it in his tone… the mocking tone.

"Yes. It's not like it's the population of Chicago or anything."

He scoffed and shook his head. "First of all, you barely know the names of half the people in this town, forget everyone that lives on the farms just outside of town. So why don't you just sit your pretty little butt down. I get done here in an hour and I'll drive us home and we can write down everyone's name and you can use your red doctor pen to tick everyone's name off that you've seen or that's one of Breeland's."

"Or, we can start right now," George offered reaching down into his briefcase to pull out a notepad and pen. "You said you had an hour, I bet we could get through listing the names at least by then."

I smiled, reclaiming my seat. "Thanks guys."

Maybe I had made some real friends here afterall.

**Wade POV**

That son of a bitch. What did a guy have to do to get Zoe Hart on his sofa with one arm around her and as close as possible without it being obvious he was making a move? Fucking hell.

It was like Georgie wasn't satisfied with having just Lemon. He had to have the prom queen from Bluebell and the hottest girl south of the Mason-Dixon line too.

"Yea, that's… a good idea. I gotta wrap up things 'round here anyway. But you and I can go over the farms on the outskirts. I'm not sure Georgie-boy knows about the boonies that far outta town," I laughed, patting his shoulder and gripping it.

He laughed looking up at me as he scribbled down some names but then focused back on the paper and on Zoe.

They reminded me of those TV shows based in big cities where people dressed up all fancy for things like studying and then huddled all close. It made no damn sense to me. I figured if you studied, you'd want to be comfortable, in jeans or somethin' and if you were studying with someone you'd want space so both of you could take notes and talk without having to breathe on one another. Now, if you're studying with someone you wanna be doin' somethin' different with that's a whole nother sack of potatoes…

I went into the back to a last count of inventory which took about half an hour because I kept getting distracted trying to think of people I could push to go see the doc. When I came back they were still just as close only this time he had her laughin about God knows what.

"Somethin funny about people dyin'?" I smirked, wiping the bar down around their notebook.

Zoe looked at me, her giggle slowing down as she shook her head. "No, we were talking about study spots in New York off campus. It turns out we both shared a couple of the same ones."

"Yea," George added. "It's so strange we never bumped into each other."

"Yea, a real brain twister," I agreed, nodding my head. He was a fucking joke. Speaking of jokes… "What's your curfew with Lemon?" I smirked, picking up his half finished beer.

He looked between me and Zoe. "She knows to expect me when I'm done in town."

Zoe's face fell oh so slightly and I felt for her, really… okay well not that much, but a little. George flirted a bit too much with her for someone in his position. And for as much as it made me want to clock him one it had to be making her woman brain do crazy things – mainly because from experience I'd learned female brains did cartwheels on their own already. "Yea, you should head home. Wade and I can finish this list. Thanks though, for all your help with getting this started," she smiled. But that smile of hers, the one that made me bite my lip every time she wore it unabashedly or got excited and it took up half her face… it didn't hit home tonight; it looked forced.

And yet again I wanted to punch George Tucker.

"Well, I'll take that as my cue then," he nodded, pushing off the bar top with his hands to stand before grabbing his briefcase. "You keep the notepad and pen. I'll stop by tomorrow and collect it when we go to celebrate," he nodded, smiling at her.

He headed towards the doors and we exchanged a nod, but all I could think was since the doc had moved to town, I'd never wanted to punch George Tucker more in my life. And I'd been friends with him since kindergarten.

But punching him wouldn't help anything right now. Mostly because he was Breeland's patient – otherwise it'd be worth a try.

Just like we planned, after the Rammer Jammer was all closed up we headed back to Lavon's where I dropped her off. She said she wanted to change out of her work clothes and then would be over.

Good grief, this could be ten minutes or two hours.

But I had to remind myself that she didn't feel the same, so why would she take the time to doll up for me?

Sure, other girls had spent half an hour 'powdering their nose' in an attempt to put on lingerie that wound up taking longer to get off than if they'd just worn some cute bra and panties thing, but this wasn't that kind of situation. And even if it were (which it wasn't) Zoe Hart wasn't that kind of girl.

I was watching ESPN highlights when there was a knock on the door. Twenty minutes – yea she definitely didn't give a damn. I wanted to laugh though because as she stepped through she may as well have been walking down the Victoria Secret's runway with how she was affecting my man parts.

"Hey," she smiled, flopping beside me like we were old friends. She seemed tired and who could blame her? She had a lot riding on tomorrow. Her legs stretched out on my sofa and from the view I had, they went on for miles. And they were perfect, not too boney but not chunky; they were toned and athletic and in the running shorts she had on, fuck… how was I supposed to focus on anything else?

"Hey," I got out, trying to fake that I'd been wrapped up in the TV and not what I'd like to do if I could just get her out of those shorts and tank top.

She looked at me and laughed. "You really like your sports don't you?" She asked, reaching for the remote and turning it off. "No TV. You promised you'd help. "

"And I will, geeze. You barge in here and don't even let it go to commercial." At least I hope it hadn't.

Her side was leaned against mine and she sighed. "George and I started the list, but so far everyone has either been seen or is one of Brick's." She sounded defeated already and I hated that. I didn't want that for her. And selfishly I didn't want that for me. "It's okay, we're just getting started; like I said, George doesn't know the farms or the fishing towns nearby like I do. We can do this, it's only two."

She nodded, her focus not moving from the page and it took every nerve in my body not to kiss her somewhere, anywhere. I wanted to kiss her shoulder and tell her it would be okay. I wanted plant one in her hair and tell her that we'd do our best and find a way to get this done. I wanted to kiss her neck and tell her that no matter what, even if she wound up leaving she had left her mark on this town and would be taking one man's heart with her.

But I didn't do or say any of it, because it wouldn't matter coming from someone like me, so instead I reached over her and slapped the page. "Doc, you forgot the most obvious one."

"What? Who?" She asked, finally turning back to look at me.

"Mayor and neighbor, Lavon Hayes."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:**

**Hi all! Thanks SO much for all the great reviews and story adds. Really you are awesome :)**

**This is part 2 of the Thanksgiving chapter which I started writing pre Planksgiving episode and finished... well today. **

**Reviews are always appreciated so please leave one if you can!**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own anything related to Hart of Dixie including but not limited to the characters and Planksgiving**

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><p><strong>Wade POV<strong>

Whoever said love was easy wasn't in love. Not that I was flat out in love with Zoe Hart, but I had stirrings, and if those weren't easy full on being in love must be hell.

Zoe and I had spent some time working on a list, but she and George had managed to get most of the folks in town. About an hour in, when she started yawning, I figured that hell – she wouldn't know any of the names I was telling her to write down anyway – so it'd be easier for her to just go to bed. I could finish the list and then we'd drive out to the farms first thing in the morning, and I could drop her off in town on the way back.

For someone who got more sleep than I did and had more riding on this than I did, you'd think she'd be the one banging on my door at 5:30am, but no. I was the one knocking then letting myself in to her place at ten past, only to find her still getting ready. "What are you doing? We need to go. The people that work on the farms are usually eating breakfast by six; we need to be there by then."

"I know, I know… I'm ready, I just… I need my… shoe," she said looking under the bed. And God help me in that business skirt… there's only so much a man can withstand.

"Come on doc," I pushed, turning to the side. She may as well have been partially nude. It was getting harder and harder to focus on things outside of her and how badly I wanted her when she was nearby.

"I'm ready!" She said, popping up in front of the door. "C'mon – we have farm people to schedule appointments with."

Good grief.

We got to the family with the farm the furthest out of town, Mr. Fillaby, his wife and his three kids, a little after six. The introductions were about as awkward as you can imagine, and I asked if Mr. Fillaby could show me the engine he'd just put into his tractor since I was looking to fix a buddy of mine's tractor and hadn't a clue on how to pick out a good one.

"Well ya see son," he started, pointing to the chunk of metal.

"I'm sorry sir," I interrupted, shaking my head. "I asked you out here for another favor. This has nothin' to do with my buddy and his engine."

He nodded. "I'd really like to help Wade but we already see Dr. Breeland. He delivered our youngest."

I nodded quickly. "I understand that sir, but Dr. Wilkes, delivered your first two and Dr. Hart – the woman inside – that's his daughter. And she's been here a couple months now and she's just tryin' to get her feet under her, here. It would be a big favor to me, personally if you brought your family in just for a check-up before winter.

He looked at me and I couldn't tell if he had taken offense to me pushin it or if he was thinkin it over. "You and this Dr. Hart… you two…" he trailed off.

I shook my head. "No sir."

"But you want to be."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "No, no… she's just a friend. And Harland was a friend. I'm just tryin to help out is all."

"Uh huh," he nodded. "Funny. I never had a lady friend that looked that good in a skirt that I'd wake up before sun rose before, to have to pull in personal favors for."

I bit my lip, and shook my head again. "Just friends, Mr. Fillaby, just friends."

He nodded again, closing the hood of the tractor. "I'll send my family in, but I'm cashing in on that favor, for your own good because no one else apparently has the sense to tell you any better."

I tried not to roll my eyes because I had been raised to respect my elders but I nodded. "And that would be…"

"Even if it's just a note sent by pass of a hand like in high school, you will tell Dr. Hart how you feel about her by Christmas. Do you hear me?"

"I already told you Mr. Fillaby—"

He shook his finger at me, telling me to hush up. "No, that's not what I said boy. You and I both know it. And the family and I will be in town just before the New Year and I'll be able to tell if she knows. A man who is in love always knows."

"You're in love with Dr. Hart?" I laughed.

"Don't sass me," he scolded. "A man who has been in love, especially one who has been in love for almost twenty years, can always spot a woman who has been told that a man is in love with her. So I'll know. And right now that woman, that super genius doctor you want my family to get treated by don't have a clue."

"So that's it? I have to tell Zoe – Dr. Hart – how I feel, in some way, shape or form by Christmas?"

It sounded a whole hell of a lot easier than it was gonna be.

"Yep. I'll tell the missus to make an appointment for this afternoon. It'll be good for the kids too, maybe they can get a new eye patch or hat for Planksgiving."

I nodded. "Well alright then," I told him sticking out my hand.

"Alright then."

**Zoe POV**

I never understood the people of Bluebell. Sometimes I wondered if they were all Vulcans with their own language to get things done. Like the way that I couldn't convince the Fillabys to come in for a visit despite my credentials and the various flu viruses going around, and how far out in the country they were so they were more susceptible to passing flu strands. But Wade goes out to talk about an engine motor and suddenly Mrs. Fillaby and her three children are coming in to see me at 11AM.

It was the strangest thing; but the best thing – since it meant I'd more than met my 30%, since Lavon was coming in too (after some begging, pleading at 1 in the morning – completely professional). Now I could go into my Thanksgiving holiday in New York, relaxed and worry free.

Wade dropped me off in the middle of town around 7, even after I asked him to drive me back to Lavon's, saying it was too far because he had to go back to the Fillaby's to talk about the tractor.

I didn't understand what else there could be to talk about tractors or why he'd want to do that instead of say, sleep more, but whatever.

The day was long between patients. Lavon came in at 8, saying how he just wanted to get this over with. Once we were inside behind my closed office door he was a bit more open about how uncomfortable he felt about doing this when he felt fine. I tried to enforce how it was important to visit the doctor even when you were feeling well, so that I, as his general physician would be more adept at spotting signs that something was wrong – even if he had no internal symptoms.

By 8:30, Lavon was heading out, still shaking his head.

One down.

I grabbed coffee and toast from the Rammer Jammer before the Fillaby family came in, and thank God I had. Seeing them at dawn was a complete 180 from seeing them at 11. The children were awake and hyper – all of them. Mrs. Fillaby wasn't hyper, but she was a talker. It had been awhile since I'd had to try and keep up with as much information as she was letting out.

And at one point, I did have to turn out her gossip and fill in with occasionally "no, really?" and "oh, wow!" just so I could get through the exams.

Fortunately, aside from a small rash on Philip, the middle child's chest, everyone checked out just fine. I gave Mrs. Fillaby a couple of over the counter remedies to try that they hadn't already, and if after the holiday it was still there to come back and see me.

2PM. Nearly one hour per person – that never happened. But glancing at the clock a second time and then looking to Addie for confirmation as the front door shut behind Mrs. Fillaby it was true. In the 11th hour I had earned my 30%.

I made my final notes and shut the file of Fillaby, Martha before handing it over to Addie with a smile. "And now to New York for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and a place where I don't stick out like a sore thumb."

"Just remember," Addie said, pointing her finger at me. "You can be more than one thing, and being a member of this community is not a bad thing Zoe Hart."

I smiled. I knew she was right, and I hadn't meant to insult Bluebellians in my statement; it was just going to feel really good to not feel like an outside for four days. To not get scowled at by the wives in town and made to feel like I was wearing a scarlet letter all the time because didn't wear head to toe frocks. It'd be nice to be able to plug in my cell phone, run my blow dryer and heat up my flat iron all at the same time. It'd be nice to sleep in my old room, with no mosquito nets, or bugs, or humidity.

Sure, Bluebell had its southern charms but I missed the bells, whistles and car horns of New York.

"Text me if you change your mind about wanting anything. I'm going to be shopping all day Friday regardless," I sighed contently at just the thought of a full day of nonstop, crazed consumer madness in Manhattan.

She laughed, shaking her head as I headed backwards towards the door and down to the Rammer Jammer to wait for Lavon who was meeting me there at 3 to take me to the airport.

"Whatever you said to Mr. Fillaby to make him change his mind, thank you," I stated, crawling onto the barstool in front of Wade.

"I just told him you were Harland's kid and you had chops for being from the city," he smirked. I hated that. I hated how he could take a thank you and instead of saying 'you're welcome' turn it into a backhanded compliment.

But I couldn't be mad, or even agitated. If not for him, I'd probably be crying and still scrambling for more patients.

"Well whatever it was, I owe you – big time. Now I can get on my flight back to New York without worrying a bit about Dr. Breeland."

He coughed. "Flight? You're going home for the holiday?"

I nodded, reaching for one of the menus lying against the side of the bar. "Yea, for four days; I'll be back Sunday afternoon-ish."

"Oh, I didn't know you were headed back to New York for it. I figured Lavon woulda told me, what with Planksgiving and all…"

I burst out with a short laugh and looked up at him. "I'm sorry, _Planksgiving_?"

"Yea," he smirked. "C'mon now, don't tell me no one's told you about Planksgiving?" He asked, leaning in a bit. "Why it might convince you to stay down here for the holiday after all. It's _way __better _than plain ole Thanksgiving."

And so he went on to tell me about the Pirates and the town fish fry, and how it was part of Bluebell history… this was one of those weird Bluebell things I would have to pass on. There was only so much eccentricity I could handle between visits home and this one sounded like a dousey. But you'd never guess it by the way Wade lit up talking about it. He was like a kid, doing lunges, imitating how pirates used their swords. It was amusing to say the least.

"It sounds like a grand old time, but unfortunately I'm already checked into my flight. But! I do want to hear all about it when I get back. Down to every swashbuckling detail," I told him, shutting my menu as I saw Lavon's truck pull into the parking lot.

I thought I caught an expression of frustration or contemplation but I must have misread it because when I looked again he was back to grinning like always. "And I'm sure there will be plenty of people who will want to talk about it. I however, enjoy the day but enjoy forgetting it with the drinking that night, even more."

"Offf course you do," I nodded. Why would I expect a different response from him other than, 'won't remember – got wasted' or 'sorry forgot – was drunk'. That was his thing… outside of helping me out of really bad situations. Kind of a drunk knight in… torn Lee's jeans.

"Zoe! You ready?" Lavon shouted from the doorway.

I spun around on barstool and raised my hand. "Yep! Be right there!" I'd forgotten Lavon was waiting outside, weird.

"Well, have a good Pirate's… Planksgiving," I said to Wade once I was off the chair.

He nodded, biting his lip. "Yea, doc, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family; I'll see ya when you get back."

I headed out and got in Lavon's truck.

"You alright?" He asked, looking from me to the entrance of the Rammer Jammer and back.

"Yea," I nodded, trying to shake the feeling that I'd be missing something if I left. I buckled up as he pulled out of the lot and turned towards him. "As the mayor, how come you never told me about Planksgiving?"

"OH! PLANKSGIVING!" He exclaimed. Again, someone who seemed all too excited to talk about it at just hearing the word. "Jeez I must have forgotten. Well it started when this hurricane hit…"

And the entire ride to the airport he retold the story of how Planksgiving came to be in Bluebell. Only, there weren't theatrics (which was probably for the best since he was driving) and it didn't have the same… appeal that Wade's version had, had.

Wade's version had been on the cusp of making me want to stay.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

**So... Here it is. Did she make it to NYC? Did she go back to Bluebell?**

**Again, thanks so much for the reviews! Feedback is a great, great thing :)**

**Per usual - Disclaimer: I don't own anything Hart of Dixie related and never will. They all belong to Hart of Dixie creators.**

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><p><strong>Zoe POV<strong>

Thanksgiving at home started off great. The sounds of New York, the food of New York… the diversity and general sense of home – this is what I had been missing.

Bluebell could be home to Lavon and everyone else, but give me Central Park over the town square any day of the week.

Thanksgiving dinner was full of football and catered food just like every year since I could remember.

And Friday, well Friday started off at six in the morning with me and two of my best friends setting out to find the best deals and shop until we keeled over. I managed to get nearly everything on sale, getting a whole new wardrobe for spring and summer to fit the Bluebell weather. I even managed to pick up a few things for Lavon at Barneys. I debated picking up something for George since I was sure (even though he probably wouldn't admit it) he missed the quality of clothing that could be found here. But then I realized how buying clothing for him might be taken since there were at least three people who already though (okay, knew) I had a (small) crush on him. So instead, I decided to have a box of bagels from a deli we'd talked about being a favorite of ours, shipped down to his office. That was completely impersonal and harmless right?

The three of us were roaming around, when I spotted a few Levi's shirts and immediately thought of Wade. Initially one orange and white plaid shirt stood out as something he'd wear and look good in, but one quickly turned into four. But hey, they were marked down by more than 50% so really it was more like two shirts.

By eight, the three of us were carrying our weight in purchases and ready for hours of sleep. And honestly, after shopping for the climate in Bluebell and the people in it I was starting to miss it. Well, not miss it per se, but I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Okay, maybe I was missing it a little.

And with each block the cab inched past on the way back home, I felt the gnawing feeling in my stomach even more. It was almost… homesickness. The same kind I'd experienced when I first moved to Alabama from New York. That was odd… definitely weird. I flipped my phone open, hoping my mother would answer and that the post Thanksgiving soiree hadn't gotten too underway yet.

"Hi mom, it's me. Would you mind if I flew back a little earlier?"

**Wade POV**

Planksgiving sucked. Well no, I take that back – it was great. The part that sucked was that I was expecting Zoe to be a part of it and she wasn't.

I knew she wasn't a big fan of how we did things, but I really thought she woulda liked this one. I mean, she seemed really into the story and everything when I told her about it at the bar. But I guess you can't expect one silly story to make a girl skip out on Thanksgiving with her family. Stupid, right?

Friday I spent puttering around. I worked a bit, but it was pretty slow since everyone was recovering from the day before, myself included.

The truth was my brain wasn't all there; it was too busy trying to figure out how to tell this girl how I felt. Hell, I was still trying to figure out exactly how I felt to begin with. Did I want to be in love with her? No, that'd be an idiot's move. There was no shot there. Did I wanna get her in bed? Sure, probably more than once or twice. But Tance was right, and I wanted to hate her for planting that thought because I couldn't get it out of my head; there was more there than just physical attraction.

Too bad the doc only had eyes for Tucker. Who knows who else she had stowed away back home? She probably had her own little black book to turn to; a whole encyclopedia of guys waiting to hear from her now that she was back in the big city.

I hated that I was obsessing over this girl. She was just a girl, but as much as I told myself that, it was like my own mind was arguing with me and telling me she wasn't. She was something special.

I just had to figure out how to tell her that without looking like a complete jackass.

On Saturday, Lavon and I were sitting at the main house watching early afternoon college football and waiting for the 'bama vs. Auburn game to start. "They're gonna crush them," I told him reaching for another slice of pizza.

"Yup. Complete slaughterfest, no way is 'bama gonna lose - no way, no how."

I focused on the screen as Georgia ran the ball for a few yards before getting tackled by the Georgia Tech defense. Lavon's phone buzzed and I glanced at him before returning my eyes to the screen. It'd be too bad if there was some mayoral emergency he had to get to.

Too bad if I had this entire house to myself with the pizza, beer, surround sound and game. Too bad indeed.

"You gotta go to the airport," He said – not asked.

I turned to look at him like he was insane. "What? The airport?"

He nodded. "Zoe's comin' home early. I'm not missin' the game and the way I figure it, since you won't install the new fuse box, Mr. Electrical Man, there's a reason you won't so you either got a thing for her and want to see her, or you don't - in which case you owe me one since you won't install the damn thing."

I bit my lip. "For the last time Lavon, I don't have a thing for Zoe." I'd said this a hundred times by now.

"Uh huh," he smirked. "Then consider us even for you not doing the electrical. Orrrr… you could do the electrical, watch the game and I'll go pick her up."

Fucker.

I grunted and stood up. "You better DVR the game Lavon."

He chuckled. "I knew it. You liiiiike her. No wait," he stopped, looking at the TV. "Missin the big Planksgiving game, and not fixin the fuse box? Must be love."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "I'm doin it cuz you've already had a beer. Just make sure you record the game so I can see them whoop Auburn later."

"Wade and Zoe… sittin' in a tree…" I heard him singin' as I headed out the door. I would not be votin' for him in the next election, that's for sure.

I took a shower, sprayed on some cologne a girl had given me once hoping it didn't smell bad since I had no sense for that crap, and took off. What? It wasn't like I was wearing a suit or anything. I could smell different without it being a big deal.

The airport was a ways away, but that wouldn't be an issue; I'd make it in time. Lavon texted me her flight info on the way, and I checked it once I'd pulled into short term parking. I got out and headed for baggage claim, figuring that was the best place to wait. I checked the monitors every five minutes, watching for her flight, and I couldn't stop pacing. I'd always been a fidgety kid, yanno? Could never sit still, but this was different. Even though I knew how I felt about the doc before she left, being outside of Bluebell with her – even at somewhere as unromantic as an airport – made me nervous. This felt like it could be a moment, _the _moment.

I kept pacing until I saw the status of her flight change to show that it had landed. I kept thinking of what I was going to say.

_Zoe, I love you_

_Zoe, you're really sexy_

_Zoe, the only reason you got the Fillabys is because I promised Mr. Fillaby I'd tell you I liked you_

Yea, that would go over well. Shit, this wasn't gonna be easy.

I was cursing myself for being such an idiot when I saw her coming towards me, and it may sound stupid, but knowing she was bee-lining it for me made me feel like the luckiest guy in the world, even if it was for the ride. And even if we were just friends, that was okay. Because she was here in the Mobile airport and so was I. And George fucking Tucker wasn't. And neither was Dr. Breeland, or Shelley. Or Lavon.

There was no one to interrupt us, for what felt like the first damn time.

I bit my lip raising a hand so she'd see me; I was anxious as all get out.

Maybe the airport wasn't so unromantic after all.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

Hi everyone! Sorry about the delay in posting. Tis the season for missed personal deadlines, right? Anywho, thanks to everyone who has been reviewing. I really like hearing what you guys/gals have to say :)

Read, review, enjoy (hopefully!)

Disclaimer: I still own nothing Hart of Dixie related. The creators of the show do.

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><p><strong>Wade POV<strong>

"I never thought I'd say this without sarcasm, but it's good to see you," she sighed, stopping spitting distance away.

Well okay then, happy you're back too. I shoved the hand I'd been waving into my front pocket and smirked. "Good trip home I take it?" I asked reaching with my left hand for her suitcase on wheels and pulling the handle towards me.

She nodded and was quiet. I couldn't tell if she was exhausted or if she was on the outs again with her mom and didn't want to talk about it; that is, until she flipped open her cell. Ignoring me entirely, she left a message for her family that she'd made it back to Bluebell alright (which to be specific she hadn't), and she'd call them soon.

"It was," she finally managed to say to me. It was taking me a second to remember the question I'd asked it'd been so long, but I bobbed my head figuring I'd remember as long as she went on. "New York was chilly just like fall should be, and Thanksgiving was full of _turkey_and _Pilgrims_and shopping – you know typical staples that represent the holiday."

Oh yea, I asked the generic _how__was__the__trip_question. "And the flight?" I kept up, trying to figure out how I was going to go from this small talk to _I__love__you,__let__'__s__go__out__some__time._

She ran a hand through her hair moving pieces away from her eyes and headed towards the baggage claim as opposed to the exit which is where I had thought we were going. "Long. I don't understand why I have to fly from New York to Dallas then back east to Mobile."

"Right, screwy system there…" I trailed off trying to figure if she was just lost, tired or some combination of the two. "Hey doc, um… why are you headed for the carousel when you have your suitcase here?" I asked, trying not to sound like a complete idiot but not getting the point if her luggage was literally in my hand.

She looked at the suitcase then up at me like I was holding her purse or something. "Oh that? That's just full of stuff I bought in New York. I had to check in the bag that has all the clothes I packed before I left."

Of course she did.

I chuckled under my breath, following behind her. _Why__did__I__even__ask?_

We piled up the two suitcases, her purse and a huge bag that was the size of a small suitcase but she kept saying was just a _large__beach__tote_. I assumed it was because a whale could find itself beached in it.

I took off on the Interstate headed towards the plantation. Since when did my car feel so cramped? I rolled down my window, turning to her and trying to smile. "Well Lavon will be glad you're home. I think he's missed how you um… make toast."

"Make toast?"

I was even questioning what I'd just said. Fucking hell. Stick to it, stick to it and get through it.

So I nodded. "Yea, he and I always burn ours on that stupid toaster thing. You manage not to singe the crusts."

I took a peek out of my peripheral vision and noticed her doubtful expression. "Well… I guess some people can whip up fancy meals, and others… can just make really good toast."

"Which is _excellent_for hangovers," I pointed out. Fucking hell I was acting like I'd never hit on a girl before; this was just pathetic.

But this wasn't just a girl. This was Zoe Hart, and I'd never hit on let alone been with a girl – a woman – like her before. And it wasn't as if Zoe Harts were a dime a dozen; I couldn't go around practicing on them in preparation for the big event. This wasn't like having sex with a bunch of girls only to nail that really hot one; or even drinkin' a bunch of beers just to win some contest.

This was completely new, and so she might as well have been the first girl I'd ever hit on because she sure as hell was in a completely different category.

"Oh, by the way Lavon got a new fuse box," I said, trying to break the silence that had filled the car since my moronic attempt at flirtation. The way I figured it, she'd wind up finding out eventually (about the fuse box); Lavon would get it installed by someone – if not me, than someone in town. It would be worse if she saw it (or even worse than that, heard about it from Lavon himself) and started asking a million questions, like why I hadn't told her since I knew, or some horseshit like that.

Because from my experience, girls liked to ask rhetorical questions just to have a reason to be mad. It's like a fucking signal that it's go time. They can stare at the fuse box, look at you, then stare back at it, but until the words are said – no one is mad. But the minute the accusation of _why__didn__'__t__you__install__it_, or _why__didn__'__t__you__tell__me__about__it_ is spoken all hell breaks loose, even though up until then both her and I knew what she was thinkin'.

And trust me; I've been in more than one fuse box situations. So I wasn't about to let this one be another. Especially not with the doc, even if she was kinda hot when she got all riled up.

It was almost funny how 'new fuse box' seemed to cause her to sit up a little straighter while I cringed a bit inside. She'd get to blow dry her hair, use her twenty bug zappers, flat irons, hair griddles… whatever girls used to make us follow them around and want in their pants all the damn time; while I got to get a more powerful amp and blast it whenever I wanted to.

Only Lavon had been right; I wouldn't get to see her stomp across the yard on a regular basis shouting at me to fix the damn thing. She wouldn't drop by unannounced looking like she had a bad day at the hair salon or if I was lucky, ready for bed and freshly showered smelling like whatever kind of girlie soap she used.

And in all my years on earth, I'd been playing guitar twelve, and had god knows how many different amps; but there had only ever been one Zoe Hart – like I said.

"That's awesome!" she squealed, breaking me out of my daze of the last time I'd seen her scamper across the property over to my door. "Is it installed yet?"

"Uh… um, no," I stammered. Fuck. "Chaos yanno, with Planksgiving."

She rolled her eyes, laughing a bit. "You mean drinking, not chaos."

"No, I mean chaos," I argued. "The sword fighting, the football playing, the drinking… you never wanna mix all of that together."

"Plus the wenches, right?"

I nearly choked on my own saliva with surprise. "Excuse me?"

"I mean pirates and their wenches since there are no female pirates?" I turned to look at her to see if she was shitting me but she wasn't. She was looking at me as if I was some kind of historical pirate expert.

"Right, yea, pirate wenches." I'd go with it.

The rest of the drive back to Bluebell consisted of her asking me to catch her up on what had gone on since she'd left, about Planksgiving and the party at Lavon's after the town's fish fry. Between questions, she talked briefly about New York, the weather up there and how much she missed it.

Not to seem cruel or anything, but it seemed that she missed the ability to wear a jacket more than the people she hung out with. She barely even mentioned the family time she spent, aside from 'family dinner went like it always did'. Well I didn't know how it always went, so feel free to explain a bit, yanno?

I pulled right up to her door so we could unload the car. "Well… here we are," I said, looking up at her front porch.

"Yep, thanks again for picking me up. I know it was a last minute thing, me coming back early… I really appreciate it." She sounded like she actually meant it too.

"Oh, yea, no sweat."

I was just missing a huge football game, but whatever. It was totally worth it – and it was, more or less.

She turned back, smiling before getting out of the car. I was quick to follow, helping to bring her suitcases up the steps and into her room.

Everything was moved into her foyer and I shoved my hands into my back pockets, not sure what to do. I didn't want to leave yet, but I didn't know what the fuck to do to get me to stay. "I think Lavon was gonna order pizza tonight, and watch football, if you wanna join us over there," I said.

She looked up from where she had already started unpacking one of her suitcases. "Huh? Oh, you know… I'm pretty beat from all the travel. I'll probably just grab a snack or something and crash early. But thanks." She gave me a half hearted smile, one of those polite ones that wasn't for anyone's real benefit.

"Sure, just thought I'd put it out there."

I turned around and headed back down to my car, wanting to bang my head on the wall.

Way to go. Four hours and no closer to saying shit.

**Zoe POV**

I realized that it was just easier to just stay in Bluebell than travel back and forth to New York. Between the stupid layovers, to having to get used to the bugs and humidity (even if it had just been a few days) all over again, it just wasn't worth it.

I'd have to remind myself of this the next time I got homesick for the city. After all, I only had nine months left. That was an academic year; I could totally handle being away from New York for an academic year when put in that kind of perspective.

Unfortunately, that didn't help me sleep through the night and I tossed and turned the majority of it. It felt like I'd just fallen asleep when my alarm began blaring, and I groaned, rolling onto my stomach and slapping it shut.

Great – a new Monday and a new quarter to freak out about my 30 percent, just another day in Dixie. I got ready, opting to wear one of my new outfits in the hopes that I'd feel rejuvenated by it. And I did feel renewed; it was amazing what an Alexander McQueen knit lace mini dress could do for a girl's spirit. I was nearly ready to face the day by the time I stepped through the door of the main house; all that was left was a cup of coffee and some breakfast.

What I found instead made me almost rub my eyes and smear my eyeliner. Wade, cooking.

"Morning doc," he grinned, shuffling some eggs around in a pan. "Coffee is done. I was just finishing some eggs. You want in?"

"Um… no thanks," I said, bypassing him and pouring myself a cup of coffee. "Where's Lavon?"

He shrugged. "Oh, he left early, said something about a meeting about a historic building."

"Oh, yea, okay." Lavon was usually around for breakfast. He hated meetings before ten; he told me that was one thing he loved about being mayor – that he got to schedule, and reschedule everything for ten or later.

I filled my traveler's mug with coffee and creamer. I decided against the breakfast at home idea in lieu of grabbing something quick at the Rammer Jammer after I'd settled in at the office. That way I could drop off Addie's tank top and the new skirt I'd bought for Shelley.

"Well, I'll see you later," I said, heading for the door.

Wade looked over at me with a confused expression. "What? No toast?"

"Nah, I'll grab something at the Rammer Jammer later on."

"Oh," he paused for a second and I wondered if he had expected I'd make him his toast like I did for Lavon, - and him (when he was hungover). "Alright, well see ya later on then."

I headed out, shaking my head. What was up with him?

The town seemed to be full of chatter as I weaved through the streets, headed toward the office. Maybe they were still talking about the holiday, or eagerly anticipating Christmas. Who knew?

I pushed open the solid oak door, trying not to spill coffee on myself in the process.

"Morning Addie how was your—"I started before noticing the room crowded with people. "Holiday?"

She smiled, chuckling a little as she made her way towards me, grabbing my coffee and the plastic bag with her top in it. "It was good, lots of good food and friends. How was New York?"

"Fine, and that bag's for you" I nodded, not really paying attention. Was there a cold going around? Was everyone here to see Brick? None of them looked familiar.

"Looks like someone's going to have a busy morning," she said, interrupting my own thoughts of how I was gonna keep up with _this_kind of 30%.

"Huh?"

"They're all here to see you. They've all requested to see you and you only; I figured you knew that – thought it was part of your round up before you left."

I shook my head in a complete daze as she handed me the first patient's file with my mug of coffee.

Who was Thomas Billoxy and how had he heard of me?

By my fourth patient, I had it figured out. It must have been Mrs. Fillaby. The previous three patients had all been farmers living on the outskirts of Bluebell so it was all adding up.

"So, Ms. Tamien, are you a friend of Mrs. Fillaby?" I asked as I checked her blood pressure.

"Who?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Mrs. Fillaby, Martha? She's a farmer wife too."

"Oh. No… you know Dr. Hart not all farmers wives know each other. Just like I'm sure, not all doctors know each other," she smiled, laughing under her breath.

I sucked in a breath, smiling as I took note of her blood pressure numbers (and her sarcasm). "Right. Then it must have been her husband that gave you my name? Robert."

She giggled again, shaking her head. "I'm afraid I don't know any of the Fillabys Dr. Hart; I was referred to you by Wade – Kinsella. He said you two were friends or neighbors or something of the sort?"

Right then.

I smiled. "Yea, something like that," I agreed, continuing the exam.

I worked through lunch and well into the afternoon. My last patient didn't leave until a little before four, and let me tell you as someone who is lucky to get one or two patients a day seeing fifteen on a Monday after a long weekend was no cakewalk.

"Look at you missy," Addie teased as I leaned against the top of her desk, about to keel over with exhaustion. "Over a dozen patients and not one stormed out. Seems like that vacation mellowed you out."

"No, that's just me slowly getting more and more drained as the day passes," I dismissed. "Do you happen to have the appointment book open for tomorrow?"

"Sure do," she nodded, glancing down at her desk. "Not nearly as many as today, but whatever you did last week is paying off, you have at least five appointments a day, set in stone for the rest of the week."

"Five a _day_?" Not for the rest of the week?

"Mhm. All requesting you, all new patients." She leaned in laughing quietly. "Dr. Breeland had a fit this afternoon, when he tried to convince one to see him and the poor woman wouldn't change her mind for nothin'. Said it was about time there was a female doctor around here."

I laughed, pulling back and taking a deep breath trying to imagine the exchange. "Well I'm going to head home. I'm beat, and it sounds like I'll need the rest for tomorrow."

"Sure will, have a good night Zoe."

"You too Addie."

I debated stopping by the Rammer Jammer to talk to Shelley about all of this (and give her the skirt) but I wasn't sure what to make of it, and I wasn't sure if Wade was working yet. If he was, I didn't want to figure out what to make of it and talk about him when he was _right__there_, and if he wasn't…

If he wasn't I could try and figure it out on my own, off my feet in bed.

So I opted for option number two and bypassed the bustling establishment all together.

All I could think was how the hell had Wade managed to get all those people in to see me? I mean _some__of__them_had to have been Brick's patients right? And sure, Wade was charming, charismatic and could turn on sweetness like… well like a sugar cane – oh god, did I just make up my own stupid metaphor?

I sat up in bed, shaking my head as if that would rattle the thought right out.

And while it did jumble my streams of conscious a bit, one remained: Wade had done this.

And not in a menacing dun dun dunnnnnn... kind of way. But in a, Wade had done this for _me_kind of way.

Which was weird to think about.

But he had, and he'd done it without saying a word to me about it, which added to the weirdness.

I felt like I was trying to put pieces of a puzzle together but I didn't know what the original picture looked like.

However, I had a feeling I knew who might.

Even though a late afternoon nap sounded wonderful, I had to make it back to town before five.

I walked into George's small office, and waved at him through his open door.

"Good afternoon Dr. Hart!" Didi exclaimed. "How can I help you?"

I laughed a bit, refraining from point directly at George. "Is Mr. Tucker available?"

"Hold on, let me check." She put her headset on and I could hear her voice on his speakerphone. "Mr. Tucker? Dr. Hart is here to see you. Are you available?"

He grinned, waving me in, but pressing a button on the phone anyway. "Yes Didi, send her in please."

She put her headset down, and I made no sudden movements, aside from feeling my stomach clench as I held back my laughter at what was unfolding before me.

"Go on in Dr. Hart, he's available."

Boy did I wish he was at times.

I headed in, nodding my head. "Excellent front desk management," I noted, taking a seat across from him.

"The very best," he agreed, leaning back and showing off his full upper row of teeth. "Before I forget, I want to thank you for the bagels. They taste just as good down here as they do up there, and even Lemon had to agree that they didn't taste awful, which is a huge step for her trust me," he laughed. "How was your holiday back in New York?"

The niceties. Dammit.

"Well, you're welcome, first off. And… it was good. Chilly, windy, crowded… it felt like Thanksgiving," I smiled.

He nodded, letting out a breath as he laughed again. Him and that infectious smile had spoiled me for every man (with exception to the vet) here. "Well I'm glad you had a nice time."

I hated the small talk. The routine five minutes of chatter before an actual conversation could begin was the bane of my existence.

"I'm here to pick your brain," I blurted out. Excellent segue, great leap from 'how was your holiday'.

"Alright then, I see you came back fresh as ever," he replied, sitting back up in his seat. I wasn't sure if that was a compliment to my sharpness, or an insult to my ability to make Bluebellian chit-chat. But I didn't have time to dissect every little thing he said right then.

"How…" I started, trying to find the best way to phrase what I wanted to ask. "As a whole, how frequently does Wade do nice things?"

He chuckled, looking at me as if to ask if I were serious about the question. "Gee, I dunno; I guess that depends on if you count the intention or the act itself."

"Ballpark…" I pushed, shaking my head. Anything, I was scraping for crumbs here.

"Often, yea… often." He paused as if ruminating over his answer. "Wade's a good guy, not always on the right side of things, but he's always got his heart in it – at least that's what I'd personally like to believe."

"But he does good things for people, often."

He nodded.

"Big good things or little good things?"

He laughed again, leaning forward with his hands clasped. "Wade and I have been friends since grade school; if you tell me what happened I can help you figure this out."

I shook my head. "There's nothing to figure out; I'm just asking as a… friend."

"A friend?" He repeated. I could tell by my tone he wasn't buying it.

"Yep, a friend who wants to know more about their new friend from another friend." That made sense to me, so of course it would make sense to him.

"Well alright then, I hope I was able to help," He grinned. Fuck, that look.

I laughed nervously from a combination of the smile and his obvious disbelief. I stood up, feeling no closer to knowing what the hell was going on inside Wade's mind that drove him to do something like this, than I had before I'd arrived.

I'd have to go to the source – at least to thank him. But I wasn't even sure _that_was appropriate, considering he obviously hadn't wanted me to find out. Right?

I mean… right?

Crap.

What the hell was I supposed to do?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Sorry for the long wait! I know it's waaaaaaaaay past the holidays but I promise you this story will wrap up and be completed.

Thanks to everyone for their reviews/comments. Keep 'em coming. The chapters should be rolling out on a weekly to bi-weekly basis from here on out!

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything Hart of Dixie related. It all belongs to the CW and whoever thought up the show and its characters.

As always, reviews make my day :)

* * *

><p><strong>Wade POV<strong>

I had heard she'd been busier than ever, and I smirked into my glass. _Beat that thirty percent you bastard Breeland _I smirked to myself as I poured a couple pitchers of beer. So I'd rounded up some of the rural folk, the farmers and ones with a ton of kids that only came into town a few times a year. So? Everyone needed a doc, and hell… some hadn't even heard about Harland's death. The men were either on board with the idea of a new young doc, or completely against it; just like the women were either completely against a new young girl around their husbands and boys or loved the idea of having a female doctor to… talk with.

In the end, all's well that ends well and it seemed that things were turning out just fine.

It was a busy night, with most choosing to stay in town for dinner before heading back home and it was almost midnight before I pulled in front of my door on the plantation.

Zoe's lights were off, and I bit my lip nodding her way. I hated that I could miss a girl like this. Hell that I missed a girl period. It wasn't that I needed her to thank me for getting her business, or to even know about it, but I missed her coming by between patients for lunch, or after work for a beer.

I headed up my front steps, noticing that Lavon had the new fuse box installed; one less reason to see her, yet again – great. What next? I'd open my door and have my eyes gouged out? Be faced with Lavon telling me that Zoe and the Vet extraordinaire were a serious item and I definitely had no shot?

But no, there was no Lavon. No Zoe either – not that that was a possibility.

I unbuttoned my t-shirt and tossed it on my sofa, heading straight for the fridge and grabbing a beer. I had barely cracked it when I heard rustling. I scratched the back of my neck. If this was one of the crazy Hester sisters again…

"Wade?" I heard Zoe's voice whisper as she knocked softly. I puffed out a laugh, heading for the door and throwing it open.

"Stalking me?" I smirked. She was wearing some silk or smooth like it, bathrobe that covered just enough but hardly anything at the same time. The exact amount I'd miss seeing when there were no fuse box problems.

She rolled her eyes and held up two wrapped boxes. "I got you things in New York."

"And they were so important you had to give them to me at midnight?"

She pushed against my stomach and I didn't stop her in the least as she pushed past me and flipped onto the sofa. "Kind of; I couldn't really sleep. I'm readjusting to the heat."

I headed over to her, juggling my beer and two packages wrapped in red and gold. "Christmas came early?"

"Stop judging and open."

I laughed and nodded, feeling like a kid on Christmas as I went at it. Paper went everywhere, and I heard Zoe laugh as I ripped a piece of cardboard to get to the flimsy tissue paper.

"Shirts?" I asked.

"Yea, but they're… you're shirts."

"My shirts?"

She looked at me and nodded. "I saw them and they reminded me exactly of the kind you wear all the time."

"You pay attention to what I wear all the time?" I repeated back, raising an eyebrow.

She huffed, obviously annoyed and I laughed. She was too easy.

"That's okay, because I pay attention to what you wear too. Especially that black and brown stripped dress? The tight one? That's my favorite." I murmured, giving her a bit of a hard time. I hadn't meant to get so specific or to fully admit it, but there it was, and it was true. It hugged her like nothing else and every time I saw her in it, I swore I'd give anything to get her out of it and under me.

Her laugh was one of embarrassment but her blush gave away that she was flattered that I had at least part of her wardrobe in my memory. "Though this robe thing works too."

She rolled her eyes, sitting up and glanced from me to my beer then back at me. "Geeze, look at the time, it really is getting late isn't it?"

There wasn't a single clock within viewing distance. I had one; on my cell, and unless she had x-ray vision and could see through clothes into my back pocket she had no idea what time it was.

"Yea, almost too late; you should probably stay here doc, you don't know what could be lurking between here and there."

"I'll take my chances since I know what's lurking here," she stated giving me the twice over before slamming the screen door.

Yea, she was something else.

**Zoe POV**

I had a plan.

I had a plan as I wrapped the shirts and by the time I was stomping through the darkness the speech was clear and I was focused.

_Wade, thank you for helping me get new patients but you didn't need to. Why did you anyway? And how?_

Okay so maybe it wasn't a speech exactly, but it was what I needed. And the gifts were my _in _ to getting those questions answered, and my thank you expunged.

I still wasn't even sure he wanted me to know, but I felt bad about not thanking him for such a huge gesture. I didn't even realize we were real friends, let alone that good of ones.

But I digress.

The minute he opened his door, my three sentence speech flew out the window. See, Wade was kind of like the south's version of Superman. Shirt on and he was your average joe (Clark Kent); a worker-bee, sarcastic, smartass and general womanizing rebel rouser. But standing before me was no Clark. With his shirt off, and jeans slung low on his waist it was easy to see how he got the reputation he did. Not even after four months had I become immune to the Southern Shirtless Superman.

He let me in and we bantered; it was easy with him – frustrating but easy at the same time, which makes no sense. It's like he knows how far to push me without crossing any line, but just getting me to the brink…

And I was thinking about that as he finished unwrapping his gifts. And that was when I realized the double meaning of all of that, and so I brought up the time.

I left my door unlocked that night. I don't know why; it wasn't like Wade could sense the pheromones in the air. Hell, I wasn't sure if I was giving off any. Plus, if we did have sex, it would be more like -thank you for getting me more patients- sex… which would sort of make me a prostitute in a roundabout way; a white collar hooker.

I'd been whoring out for patients? Not a very good rumor to have swirling around Bluebell, that's for sure.

Especially with Lemon and Brick on the same team – and George. I could picture it now… Lemon would have the rumor spread like wildfire, Brick would have me locked out until everything was "thoroughly investigated" which of course would be exactly three months, all the while Lemon would be pulling George's strings like a puppet so that I didn't fight Brick.

The only thing that I couldn't figure out in my dream sequence is how George would react. Would he defend me, or stick by Lemon's (and by default, Brick's) side?

I woke to my alarm clock, not realizing that the scenario I'd been thinking about before bed had turned into a dream. Unfortunately, I felt no more rested than I had when I first got into bed. But at least today I was prepared for patients, and today I could see Wade – and possibly even talk to him about all of this.

After getting dressed, I headed to the main house where oddly enough, Lavon's truck was gone – again. I was going to start taking it personally if I didn't see him soon.

I opened the side door to find a still half naked Wade Kinsella making himself a bowl of cereal. "Morning doc," he grinned, flashing me a dopey smile and sliding the milk across the island so I could use it for my coffee.

"How is it," I asked. "That you can go to bed at two, three, four in the morning and be up and functioning like this by eight?"

He shrugged, laughing as he gave his explanation. "Sex gives off endorphins that give you energy. I guess I just get it enough that they're just constantly flowing."

Even though I was a doctor… ew.

I grimaced, pouring the coffee into my traveler's cup. "Gross. So some girl came over after I left?" Why I even asked, I didn't know; it wasn't like I _cared _ to know.

He smirked. "Why? You regret not taking me up on the offer to spend the night?"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "I think what you think are endorphins may be some kind of disorder." He hadn't said no, and I wasn't sure why that was bugging me. I poured some milk into the cup before closing it. "And no, I don't regret it."

"That's probably for the best," he nodded, shoveling spoonfuls of sugary cereal into his mouth. "I was up pretty late jamming out."

He was? I hadn't heard him at all.

"Funny. I didn't hear you at all," I blurted out, heading for the door.

"Yea…" He trailed off for a moment. "I was playing my acoustic over by the edge of the property by the lake. I was feeling kinda claustrophobic last night."

Weird. But that was Wade… weird. Very, very weird.

"Right, well I'm off then."

He gave me an informal two fingered salute and began pouring himself a second bowl of cereal.

What the hell was his deal?


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry this has taken me so long to get up. Hope you enjoy :)

Disclaimer: The CW owns everything Hart of Dixie related. I own nothing.

Reviews keep this story going!

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><p><strong>Wade POV<strong>

I had no idea how to tell her, none at all. Each idea was worse than the last and all of them involved me being drunk. There was no way I had the balls to say it sober. With any other girl, I could lie my face off, tell them I loved them, tell them they were hotter than a super model without blinkin' an eye. But if I was going to be honest with Zoe Hart and tell her I was in love with her… well that would require at least two pitchers of beer, possibly with shots. Yet, each time I thought of it, it didn't sound right.

Zoe deserved better than to have some guy who smelled like alcohol telling her he loved her. Plus, she'd probably blow it off as just another stupid thing I did while wasted. Then I'd wind up having to do it all over again – while sober – anyway.

Plus when she shot me down I could go on a bender with Earl for a couple days to get her out of my system. Because honestly, it was clear as a summer's day that while she could look at anyone in this town she only saw Golden Boy George.

So really, Fillabyprobably only wanted to squash my ego a bit. He didn't give a rat's ass about me telling Zoe because he thought she'd tell me she felt something too.

Either way he'd done me a favor and I owed him. And despite what most people in this town thought about me, I did have some moral code I followed, one of which was keeping promises. So I just had to suck it up and get it over with.

I headed to the Rammer Jammer and opened up shop with Shelley. She was going on and on about this new guy she had been seein'. I never understood why she talked about this shit with me; all I ever did was grunt and give her one word responses. Apparently that was enough though because she never stopped; not once in all the years we'd been working together.

Zoe popped in a little after the morning rush of breakfast folk trying to get in and out as quick as possible before going about their business of the day.

"Coffee stat," she huffed, plopping onto the barstool in front of me.

"Hello to you too sunshine," I said, moving to pour her a cup.

"Sorry, sorry," she apologized, shaking her head. "I've just had a Lemon encounter."

She made it sound like she'd seen an angry alien or somethin'. Which I guess, wasn't too far from the truth.

"And how is Ms. Prim and Proper this morning?" I chuckled, reaching under the bar for the brown sugar I kept stowed away for her.

She rolled her eyes. "Her usual self; I don't get why she thinks this entire town cares about her stupid wedding."

"Because the majority of this town does care about her stupid wedding," I told her point blank. No use in lyin to her. "Because they're going."

Her glare was stone cold and nothing shy of Medusa-like evil. "I'm not. You're not."

"You're not because you weren't invited. I'm not going by choice."

Her eyebrows pulled together and I couldn't tell if she was more shocked or pissed. "_You _got an invite to their wedding?"

I leaned forward, resting my weight on my forearms as I smirked, taking a bit more joy out of the moment than I probably should've. "Not everyone thinks I'm as despicable as you do Doc. Some people around here even find me charming."

She sipped her coffee and rolled her eyes again. "Lemon does _not_ find you charming."

I stood up again, putting the sugar back on the shelf. "So maybe charming doesn't apply in this case, but it's still true." I turned around, grabbing the pot of coffee and refilling her cup. "George and I have been friends since grade school, and believe it or not there was a time when Lemon and I got along – back before she turned into the Sweetie Pie Satan of the South. So," I shrugged. "I got an invite."

She laughed a little, watching me. "You and Lemon were friends?"

"Yep," I nodded. "The three of us were pretty close in high school. She was… a whole lot different, let's just say that."

"I find that hard to believe."

"I would too if I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes." She had changed so much since then; it was hard to believe she was the same person. It was hard to believe George put up with her shit.

She just shrugged and went back to drinking her coffee. Now was my in. "Hey, you should stop by here later," I fumbled out.

She looked at me and this time I definitely knew she was confused. "Why?"

"Uh, well… Lavon – Lavon wanted to have a house meeting." Yea, that would work.

"Here?" She definitely wasn't buying it.

"Yea, he uh, said he didn't want us making a mess in the kitchen again, so we're eatin' here," I lied. Well, not about the dinner part; I'd pay for her dinner.

"Yea, sure, why not," she sighed. "It'll be good to see him. I haven't had a chance since I've been back. It's like he's avoiding me or something."

"Paranoid much?" I laughed, grabbing her empty cup, and swapping it for a new to-go one.

This was her usual routine. Two cups, off to the office with one, than back for a decaf mid afternoon; sometimes regular if it was a really bad day. Girl drank more coffee than a Starbucks Barista.

She shrugged, sliding off the seat, and throwing down a five. "You ever hear the expression, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean it's not true?"

I smirked, reaching over the bar to pat her head like a puppy. "You ever get told you're insane?"

She exhaled loudly, obviously annoyed with me (what else is new?) and headed out the way she came without so much as a 'later!'

The crazy girl could definitely stand to learn some damn manners, I thought, unable to wipe the smile I had on my face away. She may not be able to verbally say goodbye; but what she lacked in manners, she made up for in having a perfect ass.

And that was the sweetest farewell as I'd ever seen.

**Zoe POV**

Five patients seemed like nothing, and even though it was only the second time it had happened, I couldn't remember what it felt like to have less than this.

It made my stomach twist in knots, and miss New York hospitals that were frenzied and constantly chaotic with people waiting to be seen.

By two-thirty I was done for the day and decided to head back to hang with Shelley and get my fill of low-cost decaf from Wade. I seemed to have perfect timing because Lavon and Wade were huddled at the bar talking.

"You two start the meeting without me?" I asked, pulling up a seat beside Lavon who looked at me with a startled expression.

"Huh? Oh, hey Zoe. No, no meetin."

I laughed, reaching for a menu. "Relax, I was kidding."

He chuckled, glancing at Wade. "Were you two in the middle of something, because I can go over there," I said nodding to one of many empty tables.

"Nah Doc, nothing in particular," Wade said casually, wiping down the counter.

"Yea, nothing special," Lavon echoed. Okaaay then…

"Well, we can have the meeting now since we're all here instead of waiting for tonight if everyone is up for it. I have a bubble bath and a playlist of nothing but Bon Jovi waiting for me at home."

"Right," Lavon said, clapping his hands together. "The. House. Meeting." He was enunciating each word like this was the meeting of all meetings.

Wade and I looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something.

"Well," he started after a long minute. "Turns out I need to replace the fuse box again."

"What?" I snapped. "What's wrong with the new one?" Okay so it was bittersweet. All my appliances had been able to coexist happily the last few days, but there had been no real need to see Wade. Not that that was a _bad _thing. But lately… it had felt like not a great thing.

"Lavon was saying something about the voltage screwing with the grid," Wade said, speaking up. "That's what he was telling me about when you got here."

"Oh." I had no idea what that meant.

"Yea," Lavon added. "So for now, the old one has to go back up til I can go back to Mobile and get the right one."

I wanted to ask how soon that would be, but I didn't want to sound like an ungrateful brat. He had taken me in and allowed me to stay, nearly rent free, and eat all his food. "Gotcha."

"So Wade's gonna put the old box up either tonight or tomorrow."

"Probably tomorrow," Wade clarified. "That way you can do all the girlie things with your girlie electrical products in the morning."

"Thanks," I smiled. "I get one more day where I can run my blow dryer and charge my cell at the same time."

He smirked and gave me a short nod. "Plus, it'd be a bitch to swap them out at 2 in the morning."

"Good point," I nodded. "Safety first."

"Item number two," Lavon said, interrupting the seconds of smiling and staring I'd throwing at Wade.

God, this had to stop.

"What are everyone's Christmas plans?"

"Huh?" I asked, looking at him. "Why?"

"Because, Zoe, I am going away. And if I don't have to feed my children, I won't buy groceries."

"I'm stayin here. Where else am I gonna go?" Wade laughed, before turning and pouring a cup of decaf coffee. He put it in front of me and leaned forward so he and I were closer but his eyes were trained on Lavon.

"Yea, I'm staying here too," I confirmed. "No New York for me."

"Really?" Wade asked, turning to look at me with furrowed brows and a surprised… smile?

"Yea, it took me two days to readjust to this damn heat. I'm still dying; so there's no way I'm going home for a _week _and then coming back to this. Plus, I don't want to miss out on any patients because Brick is here but I'm not."

"Well all right then," he nodded, his smile growing at he looked back at Lavon. "The kids will play while you're away."

Lavon looked between us and nodded. "Mhm, play." His tone was both sarcastic and hinted at a double meaning.

But that was ridiculous. Wade and I were friends, if that.

Only that.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter. Glad you liked it!

This one is pretty short - only Wade's point of view. But the next one is almost done!

I still don't own anything Hart of Dixie related, that all belongs to the CW.

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><p><strong>Wade POV<strong>

I'd been damn lucky to see Lavon before Zoe had, otherwise he wouldn't have known what the fuck was going on with her talk about the house meeting.

And okay, maybe I'd embellished the reason for the spike in his electric bill. Maybe it was because Zoe was (most likely) one of those girls that left everything plugged in, rather than there being a problem with it on the grid – in fact I'd bet money that it was because of her appliances. Was I gonna say that? Hell no.

But finding out he was going away was both a blessing and a curse. If things went well, shit, Zoe and I could do it in every room on the plantation without him ever knowing; but if it went sour, then it would be awkward as hell without him as the middle man and I'd spend the time trying to avoid her while getting food at the main house.

The same could be said for her staying in Bluebell for Christmas. I was actually hoping she'd be going home for the holiday so I could tell her just before. That way I wouldn't have to deal with the uncomfortable tension if she shot me down, and if she was into it then we could hook up when she got back. But now that she was staying it didn't matter when I told her.

The rest of the week went by as every other one before it had, with one exception. My body seemed to be on high alert whenever Zoe was around, and I don't mean that in a completely sexual way. It was more like an overall physical reaction where I couldn't stop sneaking glances at her if she was at a table, or cleaning glasses near her if she was sitting at the bar. I'm sure I was coming off as some kind of creep to anyone who paid enough attention, but lucky for me Zoe didn't seem to give two shits. She was completely oblivious.

It was actually George of all people who made a comment about it on Friday night. Oddly enough, the one night where it was so busy I didn't have time to play Zoe's shadow.

"Hey Wade," George said, pulling up a stool at the bar. "Can I get a beer?"

"Sure, one sec," I told him as I finished pouring a round of shots for a table Shelley was working. Once I was done, I cracked open a bottle and put it in front of him.

"Thanks," He nodded, taking a swig before looking around. "Busy tonight."

"Yea," I nodded. It was fucking Friday night, what the hell did he expect – it was always like this.

"Have you seen Zoe around?"

Why the fuck was he asking me? "No, not tonight. Why?"

He shrugged. "You just seem to be… hanging out with her a lot lately." Was he fucking serious?

I wiped down the bar, confused as shit. "Uh, not any more than normal."

"Really? Because she's been stopping by my office and asking round after round of questions about you," he chuckled, drinking more out of his bottle.

She was asking about me? What the hell for? She saw me multiple times a day, what was she asking Tucker that she couldn't ask me herself? "No kiddin?"

He nodded. "Yea, it's kinda funny because, well, yanno how Zoe is," he trailed off smiling.

"No, how _is _Zoe?" I asked, reaching to open my own bottle of beer.

"Yanno," he started again, obviously missing the sarcasm. "Oddly endearing."

"She was being endearing? About me?" I questioned, completely shocked.

"Well, kind of," he said as if he were trying to recall their conversations. "She keeps grilling me about your character."

"Bitching about it?"

He shook his head. "No, just asking questions. Apparently you do nice things for her." he laughed.

"So?"

"And then she asks me if you're doing it as some sick joke or if you're legitimately being a good guy."

She seriously thought that badly of me? Jesus. "And you tell her what exactly?"

He smirked. "Why do you care what I tell her? I thought you hated Zoe?"

"I don't hate her; I don't think anything about her." I stopped, refilling a pitcher of beer for Shelley. "Plus you're the one that started all this talk about her coming to you about me."

"I just tell her that you're a good guy and you wouldn't do anything maliciously. Apparently she's having a hard time believing all these good deeds you keep doing aren't part of some master prank joke or something." He chuckled again, swirling around and waving over at Brick and his table of Elk Club buddies. "I'm gonna go say hi to my future father-in-law. You have a good night Wade," he said, slapping a couple bills on the bar.

"Yea, you too."

She thought I was messing with her? Great.

Busy nights are great because typically the night goes by in a flash; however, that is not the case when you spend all night thinking about how big of a jackass you must be for a certain doc to think you're the biggest asshole on the planet.

It was just after 2:30 when I cruised onto the estate, pulling up to my little abode. I was barely out of my car when I heard the crunching of feet hitting dry brush. I turned to see Zoe making her way over to me, wearing another little nightgown and robe thing.

Shit, I was in no mindset to deal with this right now.

"Hey," she murmured as she approached. She'd gotten the habit of coming over to hang out when she couldn't sleep, and while it didn't bother me because I was up anyway (and let's face it, even if I wasn't I'd get up for her) tonight was just not a good night.

"Hey, what's up," I said, heading up towards my front door.

"Do you have a sec?" Her voice was still quiet, almost shy. That was very… un-Zoe.

"Sure," I said, pushing open my door and holding it open for her. "Come on in."

"No, this'll only take a sec," she replied, moving closer to me. I really… really, couldn't handle her proximity tonight with her wearing as little as it appeared she was.

I moved my arm from the door, letting it shut. My hand immediately flew to the back of my neck. "Okay, like I said, what's up? I'm exhausted."

"Oh, yea, right," she stammered. Okay so I wasn't exhausted exactly, but I was too tired for this runaround bullshit. "I just wanted to say thank you."

I squinted, confused. "For… what?"

She puffed out a laugh as if she had some inside joke I wasn't a part of. "For all the patients."

Oh, that. I shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal."

"I've seen over forty new patients thanks to you, that's a huge deal; George said I pretty much have everyone who lives in the surrounding area around Bluebell as a patient."

George. George. George. Blah. Blah. Blah. I shrugged again. "Like I said, it was no problem, really."

"Well, it means a lot," she said, giving me a timid smile. "So thanks, again."

"You're welcome," I finally returned, taking a step closer and biting my lip as I watched her reaction. Her big brown eyes looked up at me and all I really wanted to do was lean down and just fucking kiss her again.

But I didn't. Instead, I swallowed hard, trying to hold back. "You should head back to the carriage house, it's late."

She nodded. "Yea, I should," she agreed, taking a step and moving down the stairs. "Have a good night," she added, giving a short wave as she headed across the drive. I held up my hand, waiting until she was safely inside before going into my own place.

I went straight for my bed, groaning into my pillow.

What a fucking night.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Another chapter! What multiple in a week? Insannnity!

Unfortunately, despite the progress I still don't own the characters or anything Hart of Dixie related.

Reviews and feedback are amazing and much appreciated

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><p><strong>Zoe POV<strong>

I walked back to my place in a daze. That was the effect Wade had on me the last couple of weeks – dazed and beyond confused.

I ran a hand through my hair, trying to shake it as I pushed open my front door. This was ridiculous; I didn't have feelings for him, well not _those _kinds of feelings. Did I find him attractive? Sure. Was there a certain amount of palpable chemistry between us? On occasion. But was I falling for him? No way. That wasn't happening. I mean really, _Wade_?

As I fell back into bed I puffed out a breath, mulling it over and shaking my head. He was infuriating. He had a knack for pushing all the right buttons to get me riled up; it was like he took some sick pleasure in watching me squirm and argue with him. Then again, how many guys would laugh when you dumped a pitcher of ice water on their heads? I grinned at the memory of the Great Bluebell Heatwave 2011.

The kiss that almost happened, but didn't. The way his skin felt under my fingers when I'd stitched and bandaged him up, allowing my hands to linger seconds too long. And even though he made fun of me then too, _'sure are taking your time with that bandage doc'_, I hadn't seen the taunting expression in his face. I'd seen… curiosity?

My heart was beating faster despite not moving an inch on my bed. Truthfully he wasn't a terrible person, and he wasn't mean and rude _all the time_. He did seem to drop whatever he was in the middle of to fix the fuse box for me. And he had done the impossible and helped me get the remaining patients I needed to meet my thirty percent, even though he didn't have to; not to mention all the others he'd rounded up for me in my absence. That doesn't even include the fact that I'd barely paid for a single drink and meal at the Rammer Jammer. He mostly just said it was taken care of, despite my protests. He went so above and beyond sometimes… and how had I missed this?

I smack my forehead, shutting my eyes. "Shit," I sighed.

I was falling for Wade Kinsella.

The next morning was awkward. I woke up and it was as if I didn't know how to be myself. With the newfound realization I wasn't Dr. Zoe Hart anymore, I was Dr. Zoe-Hart _just another girl who fell for Wade's_… Wade. It wasn't even charm that I fell for – it was just him, which made me groan out loud because if I sounded like a romantic chick flick in my head, who knew what was going to slip out of my mouth when I was around others.

I had to get a grip on this and seal it shut before I made a complete fool of myself.

So, until I could I would just do the mature thing: avoid Wade and try to avoid talking about him. That should be easy enough; I just wouldn't be able to go to the Rammer Jammer, and I'd have to call Lavon before heading to the main house for meals to ensure Wade wasn't there. It would be completely effortless, only not. Ugh.

I had to be making this harder on myself than it actually was, right? I mean I had a thing for George and he was engaged for Christ's sake! I'd been able to keep that under fairly good lock and key (or so I thought) so what was the problem here? That Wade would catch wind of it by just reading my face? That Lavon, the man who knew me and read me better than anyone in this town would see it and tell him? Or, that part of me wished he would? With each question I got more anxious, until I finally decided avoidance was by far the best course of action, at least for now.

I skipped breakfast at the main house, and bypassed coffee at the Rammer Jammer, which just made for a bad caffeine-withdraw migraine by 10am.

It was Saturday though, and completely dead – not even Brick had patients today. Though, he opted to be on call nearly every Saturday and was off entirely on Sundays. His one day of reprieve was my one day to snatch patients; unfortunately they were all at church with him.

Addie was off on weekends, so the place was completely silent. Creepy silent. Normally at times like this, I'd tape a sign that said to call my cell or find me at the Rammer Jammer, and I'd go over and hang out there. I wasn't good with the deafening quiet, so the Rammer Jammer kept me from going insane while I waited for someone, anyone, to walk in with some kind of medical emergency.

But I couldn't go over there today.

So I was going through patient charts, trying to memorize little nuances about them when I heard the front door open. I practically flew out of my seat, glad to be relieved from the tedious task I'd set up for myself.

"Hi, how can I –" I started, but cut myself off when I saw it was Wade, carrying up a cup of coffee and paper bag.

"Hey," he greeted, offering up a half smile as he approached. "I didn't see you this morning, and when Lavon came in he said you never went in to make coffee or lunch, so I just figured…" he trailed off holding up the contents that were in his hands. "You probably needed fuel while you save the town from the next plague."

There he was doing something nice for me again. He was really making it difficult to go back to thinking of him as just the annoying, childish Wade I'd had no problem berating a few days ago. I wanted to huff and tell him to quit it because I didn't know how to process whatever _this _was that I was feeling. But he wouldn't get it and then I'd have to spill the details and that would just be humiliating.

So I kept quiet on the matter.

"Thanks," I replied as I took the items from his hands.

"No sweat," he murmured. I noticed him looking around with a confused expression. "Is anyone even here?"

I rolled my eyes, walking back into my office to put the items down. I could smell the coffee and couldn't wait to gulp every drop of it down. "No, no one's come in yet."

I heard him follow behind me. "And… you're hanging out here?"

I nodded turning around to look at him, "Mhm." I knew what he was really asking was _why aren't you down at the Rammer Jammer if it's dead? _But I wasn't going to answer it. I'd feign ignorance as long as I could.

"Listen, this isn't about last night is it?"

"What?" Now I was the one confused.

He moved closer and I felt my heart thump the way it had the night before. He wasn't as close now, but it still gave me the same reaction. "About me pushing you to go because I was tired?" He clarified, hesitating a little as he continued. "Because I was, tired I mean."

I nodded, reaching for the coffee and lifting the lid because the migraine was getting worse by the minute. "Yea, I know."

"So it's not about that?"

"No," I said between sips. "I just want to take the down time to go through my files and get to really know the patients; it's something I just haven't made a priority to do until now."

"Oh, well okay," he sighed, looking around the room. "I'm just gonna head back then."

"How much do I owe you?" I asked, walking around my desk for my purse.

He chuckled, and I heard his footsteps moving closer. "Since when do you pay for anything doc?"

I felt the blush rise to my cheeks so I kept my focus on the contents of my bag. "Well, I mean… you delivered. The Rammer Jammer doesn't deliver last I checked, so at least let me give you five for this," I managed to get out without sounding abnormal.

I heard him laugh and move again, this time away from me. "Good one doc. I'll catch you later."

When I looked up he was in the doorway, grinning. "This is where you say goodbye."

I rolled my eyes, a smirk turning into a smile on my lips. "Bye Wade."

So what if the smile lasted the rest of the day? I was pretty sure I was doomed regardless.

**Wade POV**

Something was up with her and I couldn't put my finger on it.

At first I thought she was pissed, but when I saw her she didn't seem like it at all. And the girl never hid when she was mad at me, not that I ever wanted her to. I liked that she was honest and real, most girls around here were too afraid to let you see them in any other state other than happy.

Zoe was a breath of fresh air, even if she came from a polluted over crowded city.

But after I left, I was even more confused. If she wasn't pissed, then what was it? The only time she didn't come in before work was when she had breakfast at the main house. Lavon said he hadn't seen her all morning, and so naturally, I got worried. Not that I told Lavon that, or anything. But after he left I ordered up a club sandwich, fries and grabbed a cup of coffee. It wasn't a big deal; I just didn't need Lavon reading into any of it.

I waited for her to come by at 3:30 like she usually did, but again she was a no show. That girl was gonna drive me bat shit. And even though I typically worked from open until close most nights of the week, especially on weekends I was having a rough time not asking Shelley to cover me once 5pm hit and I knew the doc would be heading home. It was fucking nuts how much she had gotten under my skin.

But I didn't leave. For one, I didn't wanna leave Shell in the lurch on a busy Saturday night and secondly, Zoe could take care of herself. I just had to remind myself of that from time to time because sometimes she said and did things that made me wonder if she could – especially down here.

When I got home, I half expected her to be at my doorstep again. She'd had insomnia nearly every night this week so when I found my porch empty, I had to double back to make sure I hadn't missed her sitting out on her own.

But she wasn't, and her lights were out. She must've finally readjusted to the weather. Either that or reading all those boring files tired her out to the point that it didn't matter how hot it was.

I got inside my place, wondering how the fuck people did this. How they functioned and had feelings for people, because honestly? This shit was draining. And I didn't know if it was so exhausting because I couldn't say or do a damn thing about it, or because I felt so fucking much. I mean, _come on, _I was thinking about this girl all day, non-stop.

I stayed up for awhile, watching stupid infomercials and nursing a beer, then a second. I just had to zone out and get my mind blank for awhile otherwise I'd never be able to sleep.

It was a little after 4 in the morning when I got off the couch and tossed my bottles in the trash. I started to turn off all the lights and was halfway to my room when I heard the knock on my door.

This better not be… anyone. Be the fucking wind. I waited a second until I heard another knock. Why the hell did people think they could come around here at 4 in the morning like it was the middle of the afternoon?

"Yea?" I asked without looking at who was there as I threw the door open.

Familiar eyes looked up at me and I watched her as she bit her lip, "Hey, can I come in?"


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thanks everyone for the reviews – they've been awesome

Here's a heads up for this chapter: this is a strong M rating.

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.

P.S - Reviews = still, .ever :)

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><p><strong>WADE POV<strong>

I opened the door wider, stepping to the side and shoving my left hand in my back pocket. "Come on in doc," I said with a touch of sarcasm. Apparently I didn't need any fucking sleep as long as she didn't. But hell, at least maybe she'd shed some light as to what was up with her today.

She looked down at the ground as she moved inside, allowing me to shut the door. I figured she'd go for a beer, or grab the remote before I could take it, but she didn't. Instead she just stood, looking from the floor up to me.

"Everything okay?" I asked, moving around her to grab cans of beer from the mini-fridge. She looked tense, nervous. I handed her one and she took it, looking at the label before putting it down.

"Maybe later," she said more to the beer than to me.

I cracked open mine, taking a big gulp of it. I waited through a good minute or two of complete silence and was almost half done with the can before I finally said something. "So are you gonna tell me what you needed to talk to me about so urgently it couldn't wait?"

Her eyes that had wandered anywhere but at me finally snapped to my face and widened. Even without make up her eyes popped, her eyelashes long and obvious even without any lights on in my place. It was a reminder of both how beautiful she was naturally as well as how well lit this place got from natural light. It was like a fucking green house.

She moved three steps closer, closing the gap between us. My chin was practically hitting my chest she was so close. I wanted to ask what the fuck was going on, but her chest was heaving and her breathing was already heavy. I knew that kind of breathing; the nervous kind, hoping, wishing…

I bit my lip watching her move closer, feeling my own chest start to pound. I didn't know what the fuck had gotten into her; she didn't smell intoxicated, in fact I didn't smell a single trace of alcohol on her.

When I saw her eyes shut, I finally let out a slow breath through my nose before dipping my head down and pressing my lips against hers. Not a single taste of alcohol either, only mint. My free hand dropped to her waist, pushing her back off her toes and allowing me to take charge of the kiss. Her arm moved up and I thought she was going to pull back, even though she was returning just as much as I was giving. I'd learned the hard way that didn't mean much when it came to Zoe. But to my surprise her arm wasn't there to beat me away. Instead she wound it around, pushing her hand against the back of my neck, pulling me closer. I gripped her waist tighter, biting on her pouty bottom lip and once her mouth opened I allowed myself to deepen the kiss.

To my surprise it made her moan and in turn made me harder than I already was. I pulled back, opening my eyes and trying to catch my breath. "Zoe, what the – you're not sleep walking right?" I asked. Sure it was probably a little too late and technically I would have just sexually assaulted her if she was, but it had to be questioned. I mean, this was straight outta left field.

She opened her eyes, grinning. "No, I'm not sleep walking."

"And," I started, wincing at my follow up. "You know who I am, right?"

She laughed a little and nodded, her face turning serious. "I'm not good with words about this kinda stuff. I'm actually not really good with this kinda thing in general, so can we just go with it?"

What stuff? I didn't know what the hell she was talking about. "I thought you came over here to talk," I teased, taking a second to finally put my beer down.

She puckered her lips together, giving me her _I'm being serious _face.

"Fine, fine," I sighed, chuckling as I cupped her cheek with my newly freed hand.

"Cold," she gasped, scrunching her face. I laughed harder but leaned down and kissed her again before she could complain any more.

I couldn't get over that she was letting me do this. And I wouldn't let it go to waste.

**ZOE POV**

I'll be the first to admit that compared to most people my age, I don't have a lot of experience with men. But I was pretty sure most people went the majority of their lives without experiencing what I was feeling right now. At least that's what I wanted to believe because there was no way that someone could be kissed like this and not remember it as one of the most significant moments of their entire lives.

Okay, maybe a bit of an overstatement, but I knew that unless I got a memory loss illness, I would never forget how Wade was kissing me. And I wasn't sure if it was so amazing because of his skill or how I felt, but probably the former because his kisses had always had an impact; they'd always left me (literally) weak in the knees and my mind trained on the moment for hours after it happened.

This, he and I attacking each others' lips in his living room, was the complete opposite of what I'd planned on this morning. I'd done really well on avoiding him as best I could, with exception to him dropping by the clinic with food. I didn't go to the bar after work; I wasn't waiting for him on his stoop when he got home. I had even fallen asleep for a few hours after dinner. But it was restless, because all I did was dream about the situation, about him.

So around ten, I got up and showered for the third time. Typically I showered in the morning and again when I got home but since I didn't have anything to do or anywhere to go, getting rid of the new layer of sweat that had developed seemed like a good idea.

Then I reorganized my closet and went through my dresser, followed by a little online retail therapy.

Even after all of that, I was no more tired or able to get him out of my head. The only way I was going to be able to sleep or function like a normal human being again was going to involve me confessing.

Part of that decision stemmed from a conclusion I'd made earlier in the evening. I'd figured out that the reason that I was so anxious about my feelings for Wade compared to those for George was proximity; that was the most logical explanation. I saw Wade more. I lived on the same land as him, we shared a kitchen, and I was at his place of work at least an hour every day… so the threat of my secret coming out was at least quadrupled.

It was better if I came clean on my own, rather than him finding out from me accidentally spilling it to someone else, or worse, to him at the Rammer Jammer.

I'd gone over there with enough butterflies in my stomach to fill the Brooklyn Zoo's quota, and fully anticipated on laying it on the table. I have feelings, that's all; we don't have to talk about it again.

Done, over with, hands clean.

But when I saw him, that idea flew out of my head and what popped back in was the night of the heatwave and the fear I'd had. The same butterflies, the same hesitation, the same push and pull of conflicting emotions. Is this right? What am I doing here? Why shouldn't I be here?

Only when he let me in this time, I told myself it was okay to feel something. It was okay not to worry about what he would think of me in an hour or twelve hours, or twenty-four.

And now here we were, and I was kissing him like my life depended on it and it felt like he was returning the sentiment. Yet again though, he was careful with me. His hands slid under just the hem of my t-shirt but didn't roam and I took that as a sign we were mostly going at my pace; Wade wasn't known for going slow with ladies.

His hands on my bare skin, even as innocent as the sides of my waist were plenty and I'm not sure if that speaks more to our chemistry or how long it's been since I've had… you know, sex. But I wanted more, so I reached down, inching his shirt up and feeling his lips curl into a smirk against mine. We pulled apart for a second as he took it off from his shoulders and let it drop beside us.

Finally, my hands had a chance to roam over him, slowly, feeling every inch of muscle definition, and lingering as much as I wanted without the teasing gaze. But it wasn't long before I felt his hands pushing against my tank top. My breath grew shorter and I pulled away as he had, to discard my top beside his.

"Jesus," he murmured, looking down at my exposed torso. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks and bit my lip, wanting to cover up. But the way his was looking at me, while it was intense, didn't seem critical, it seemed almost reverent. His hands slid over my shoulders and down lower, eliciting a moan from my mouth. Fuck. He just grinned that cocky smirk that said it all: _I know, I know, I'm amazing_.

His hands moved lower still, brushing my rib cage and stomach before he looked at me, his eyes staring into mine. "I know this is a given, but you're gonna tell me if you want to stop right?" He asked.

For as arrogant as he came off about his experiences with women, he was attentive about it.

And I was still having a hard time finding words. "Yea," I nodded, unsure when I'd say I'd had enough.

He smiled hesitantly and moved his hands back, one to the side of my neck and the other to my hip, pulling me flush against him. This kiss was more urgent, needier, and this time it was he who moaned first into the kiss from the contact of flesh on flesh. I could feel him against my stomach, and for some reason that was all the encouragement and confidence bolstering I needed.

"Bedroom?" I panted, forcing myself to pull back and look up at him.

For the first time, he was the one who was speechless. He just nodded and picked me up easily, allowing me to wrap my legs around his waist and arms around his neck. We stumbled into his room, his mouth busy working over my neck.

He deposited me on the bed and I scooted up by my elbows, watching him watch me. I'd never felt so exposed or so alive. I felt like I was on some adrenaline high, and I finally understood all of those medical journal articles about serotonin and endorphins being released during sexual activity.

I was pretty euphoric right now, and we hadn't even gotten down to it yet.

He pushed a hand through his hair, studying me still. "Jesus, you really are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen."

At that, I laughed, partially out of nervousness and partially out of how ridiculous that sounded. "That was pretty cheesy."

He chuckled, dropping his hand from his hair and shaking his head. "Gotta bust my balls any chance you get don't you?"

"Not _every,_" I corrected.

He continued to laugh quietly as he knelt down on the bed, his body hovering over mine in a modified push up position. "Can't you just take the damn compliment?"

"I would, but it depends on the context. Right before we're about to, yanno… it feels really cheesy." I was trying to hold back a new round of giggles, but it was futile.

Fortunately, he cracked up first, leaning down to kiss me through it. "Hey at least I'm not saying it _as_ we're _having sex_," he emphasized, observing subtly that I couldn't actually say the words.

"True, that would be worse," I acknowledged as I (boldly) reached down for the button on his jeans.

This time, instead of finding it humorous he sucked in a breath and pushed his hips toward my hands. "So we're back from intermission?" He asked, his voice sounding tight.

I nodded. "I think so."

He lowered himself down, pushing his mouth against mine, and groaning as I undid his jeans and brushed against him, over his boxers.

I was surprised how comfortable this felt. How relaxed he'd made me feel; it didn't feel strained or forced. It wasn't overtly romantic or dramatic. It was very… us.

He got up, getting rid of his jeans and boxers in one fell swoop, leaving me to bite my lip and stare at him.

"What no critical analysis?" He smirked, kissing from my knee cap up my inner thigh.

"Fuck," I breathed, lifting my hips.

He laughed and I felt the vibrations against my skin. He laid a single kiss against the place my body wanted his mouth the most through the fabric of my shorts and underwear before tugging them both down. It took every bit of willpower not to whimper as the warm air, feeling cooler in the late hour, air hit me.

Once they were off he slid back up my body and kissed a straight line from my bellybutton to my clavicle, and this time I couldn't hold back the mewl that escaped as I gripped his back with my fingers.

As he had laughed when he'd kissed sensitive areas on me, I had giggled when he grunted as I wrapped my hand around him the first time. He scowled, but it quickly turned into a grin as he returned his lips to mine.

We continued to kiss, our mouths fused together as my hand stroked him. It was only a couple of minutes before he pulled back, wincing. "Shit, Zoe. Stop."

I froze. I knew it had been awhile, but how badly can you fuck up a handjob? Really? I immediately moved my hand. "You okay?" I asked, terrified.

He must have read the expression on my face because he started laughing and pushed his face into my neck, panting. "Yea I was just... really close."

Oh. _OH_… realization dawned on me, and I started laughing against his temple. "Sorry."

"Yea, apologize," he mumbled against my ear, the smile still evident in his tone.

I turned my face and he pulled away, looking at me. We were both smiling, but our smiles slowly faded and all I knew was I needed him. It was cheesy and I knew if I said it out loud he would probably give me hell, but I wasn't sure if he would know otherwise.

"I need you," I finally choked out quietly, trying not laugh at the cliché of my own admission.

His grin matched the one he'd worn the day in my office when I'd given him stitches. It was curiosity, or surprise… something along those lines. But there was no laughter behind it or any mocking gestures or commentary. He just nodded, and leaned down, kissing me again.

This time it felt different, and it made me swallow my laugh entirely.

It felt a lot like love.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Okay, so my initial idea was to have the last chapter be the end and do a couple epilogue-esque type chapters. But after reading some reviews, I went back and reread the chapter and realized that it wasn't complete at all!

So thanks to everyone who reviewed! Keep 'em coming! – Also as a side note, I'm looking for a beta so if anyone is up for it send me a message!

Disclaimer: Still don't own the characters or anything Hart of Dixie related, sadly.

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><p><strong>Zoe POV<strong>

I woke up thanks to the sunshine shining brightly through the curtains.

Wait, I had blackout curtains for just this reason. I blinked my eyes open slowly and sighed; I wasn't in my room. I was at Wade's.

Wade. The person that I had incredible sex and slept with last night. That Wade, not that there were any other Wades… but, I digress.

What I found even more surprising was he was still here; he hadn't fled. Though I suppose, where was he gonna go, the couch? Not only that, but his arm was around me, circling my waist. As I sighed, trying to process everything, I felt his grip tighten and I couldn't help but smile. I cautiously put my arm over his, entwining our fingers. He grumbled a bit behind me, pushing his face into my neck as his thumb rubbed small circles against my hand. "Morning," he murmured, scaling his lips down my neck.

This was not good; I did not need one more reason to be late to the clinic in the morning. Even if it felt, really, _really, _amazing.

"Morning," I sighed, trying not to get too caught up in it. I had to – shit what time was it? "Do you know what time it is?" I asked, my tone sounding more alert as I realized I was the only one available today, and my phone was across the yard in the carriage house.

"Um," he paused and I felt the bed depress as he moved. "9:30."

"Shit!" I exhaled. I thought it felt later than 7; the sun felt warmer and I wasn't too sure it was just because of the thinly covered windows. "I was supposed to open the clinic half an hour ago. I have to get back and change and go," I explained, scooting out of bed and tugging one of the blankets with me for coverage.

I spun around, trying to look for my underwear and shorts, hearing him laugh. "Now hold on a sec," he said.

I looked up from where I had bent down to pick up the set towards the foot of the bed. "I don't have time for a sec, didn't you hear me? I'm already half an hour late and I haven't even showered yet!"

He was propped up in bed, looking amused at my flustered state. "I'll give you a ride, just simmer down."

"Even if you did – which I would really appreciate – that doesn't turn back time from now, and right now I'm late."

"If you're already late," he said, leaning forward and pulling my forearm so I fell forward towards him. "Then another five minutes won't kill you."

"You have no concept of time and punctuality, do you?" I spat, sitting up again.

"Wow, and I thought I tired you out last night," he continued to tease.

"Obviously, you thought wrong."

He gave me his sideways smirk replying coolly, "Guess I'm gonna have to try harder tonight then."

"You think there's gonna be a repeat performance?"

He nodded. "Yea, we have to test your bed out, don't we?"

Ugh. I rolled my eyes, sliding my underwear and shorts on under the blanket I had wrapped around me like a massive towel. "No, we don't _have _to. " I headed for the living room, dropping the blanket in the doorway and covering my chest with my arm.

"Oh hell no," I heard him say before hearing his feet race after me. Not even two seconds later, I felt his arms around me and his mouth latched back against the curve of my neck. I scoffed, trying to pry his arms off, but he just laughed against me.

Finally, after a minute or so, he finally pulled back. "Fine, be no fun."

I finished walking the rest of the way to my tank top and threw it on. Did I want adventurous Zoe, brave Zoe to go to waste? Did I want everything I couldn't say last night to be ultimately chalked up to an amazing one night stand?

With my back to him, I contemplated it for a moment and decided that until I knew, I wouldn't say anything. I wouldn't apologize for last night because it wasn't a mistake to me; and I wasn't sure I was ready to come clean. So I started for the door, hoping I'd have something figured out for the car ride.

"Hold on, wait," he said just as I reached for the handle. He jogged around me grabbing my wrist. "Seriously?" He asked, looking down at me like I was a lunatic.

"Seriously what?"

"Seriously we're not gonna talk about how you went from sexual ice queen to what happened last night?"

I shifted my eyes to the side before looking back at him and nodded. "Yep."

His expression went blank and unreadable as he nodded. "Well alright then. I'll meet you at Lavon's when you're all set to go."

"Sounds good," I agreed, stepping around him to reach for the door. "I'll be as fast as I can."

"Whatever doc," he sighed, moving out of the way so I could open the door.

I tried to ignore his change in demeanor. I didn't have time to analyze that right now, I was super late as is.

**Wade POV**

Well that was short lived.

I bit the inside of my cheek and headed back towards my bathroom, yanking off the boxers I'd just put back on and turning on the shower taps. Fucking crazy woman – how the hell did she even get her medical license anyway? Didn't they have to pass some kind of screening to test for psychosis? Evidently not because I'd slept with some wack jobs and Zoe was climbing the charts at lightning speed.

One minute she was all hot and bothered, shooing my hand away from the condoms before we had sex and the next she was running out of here like I'd just told her I ran over her dog.

And what was worse, was there was no explanation. Now, normally I hated talking about that shit… the _what happens now_ stuff, but in this case I think it deserved to be addressed. I mean the girl came over here outta nowhere and then was gonna leave without telling me what changed? Or better still, how I could keep it that way.

But no, she bolted out of here without a single peep about any of it. It was fucking infuriating.

I showered and changed quickly enough; heading over to Lavon's to have breakfast in peace.

Lavon was already wide awake, whistling as he fried up some eggs when I walked in. "Mornin," I greeted, grabbing the milk from the fridge.

"Mornin," he replied back, flippin the eggs over. "How's it goin?"

"Not bad," I shrugged, gathering a bowl, spoon and a box of corn flakes from the cupboards.

He nodded and we were quiet as I poured a bowl of cereal for myself.

"So, you gonna tell me why I saw Zoe doing the walk of shame from your place this morning when I was feeding Burt Reynolds?" He was so casual with it, like he was asking me how warm it was outside or some shit.

I shrugged again. It wasn't really any of his business, and since after her reaction this morning it was pretty clear she wanted to keep everything under wraps I shook my head. "It wasn't a big deal."

"Oh, okay," he scoffed, grinning as if he was the cat that ate the canary. "Zoe spent the night after you've been trying to get in her good graces –among other places- the last couple months and it's no big deal."

"She couldn't sleep."

"Uh huh." There he was again, saying it like he knew better.

I took two spoonfuls of my cereal before the flakes got too soggy and hopped up on the counter. "Anyway, how was your night?"

"You know, as her sole confidant I'm bound to find out sooner or later," he continued, ignoring my question entirely. The way he said it made it sound more like a threat than a statement.

"Nothing happened." I flat out lied.

"Uh huh."

"The doc thinks I'm a walking herpes commercial, and I think she's a crazy person." I pushed. "Would I do her? Sure. But the feeling isn't mutual."

He looked at me, squinting as if he were trying to figure out if I were telling the truth. Before he could open his trap again, Zoe walked in looking rejuvenated. "Morning guys," she said smiling at Lavon and not bothering to look at me.

"Mornin'," he grinned, looking at her then me. "We were just talking about you."

Her cheeks went red, and I wanted to groan. Way to give it away, girl. "Why?"

"Oh, yanno… housemate stuff," Lavon trailed off, chuckling under his breath.

I finished my cereal and hopped off the counter while she filled her travel mug with coffee. "You ready to go?"

"Where ya'll headed?" Lavon asked, still smirking. He may be my landlord in name but this morning he wasn't my friend. Friends weren't assholes like this.

"I need to head into town so I'm gonna give Zoe a ride to work," I answered on our behalf.

He nodded, his grin not disappearing. "Alright well you kids have fun."

"It's a ride, with Wade. How much fun could it be?" Zoe finally said. Even though it was insulting I was relieved her blush was gone and she was acting normal again.

"Be nice or you'll walk," I glared, taking her cup from her hands and having a sip as I headed out the door. That would get us moving even faster.

She was hot on my heels behind me, tugging on my t-shirt as we got closer to my car and further from Lavon's. "Did you tell him?" She whispered, leaning closer.

I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about doc."

She huffed, going around the front of my car and leaning against the passenger side door. "Last night. Did you tell him about last night?"

"Nothing happened last night." I ducked into the car, waiting for her to get in, which she did a second later.

"You know what I'm talking about. Us… last night."

I shook my head again, smirking. "Doc, I'm not sure what you're referring to."

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "Us sleeping together."

"Ohhh right _that_," I nodded, grinning as I started the car up. "No, I didn't mention it."

She hit me upside the head and I winced. "Ow, what was that for?"

"For being an ass."

"I wasn't being an ass; I just wanted to see if you could say it."

"Well I can. But that doesn't mean everyone and their mom should know."

"I figured."

She looked at me, and I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. She had that sad-but-thinking look on her face. "What?" I asked, focusing my attention back on the road.

"Nothing."

I hated when girls said that. It was never nothing.

I drove the remaining five minutes into town and parked right in front of the clinic. "Thanks for the ride," she smiled as I killed the ignition.

"No problem," I told her, unbuckling.

"Where are you going?"

"Inside."

"The clinic?"

"Yea," I nodded. "I told Lavon I had stuff to do in town, but with everything being closed due to church I gotta hang out here til noon."

"But it's not even 11," she stammered, getting flustered.

I got out, stretching. "Yea."

She got out of the car, not saying another word as she headed up the steps to her office. I followed a ways behind her, and despite her obvious protests, she left the door open for me.

"It sure is busy today," I teased, looking around the desk at the completely empty appointment calendar.

"You're like a toddler," she observed, walking from her office down the hall towards me. "Had I known you were tagging along I would have brought a coloring book and crayons to keep you occupied."

"You have those on hand at your place?" I smirked, looking down at her as she snatched the notebook up and headed back to her office.

She turned her head back to give me a death stare which looked more like a Zoolander impersonation and I cracked up.

I followed her into her office and collapsed into one of the patient chairs. "I don't know why you were worried about coming in late; no one's gonna be around til at least 11:30 when church lets out."

"Because pregnant women don't go off church times and neither do emergencies nor accidents," she snapped, walking around her desk, and flipping open a file.

"Are you always this mean after you have sex? You're like a praying mantis," I teased, grabbing the file from her and shutting it. "I'm waiting for you to rip my head off."

"Trust me, I'm contemplating it," she said leaning over the desk for the chart. I stretched my arm back out of her reach.

"Say please doc."

"Why? You snatched it out of my hand."

"Because it's polite."

"And you grabbing the file out of my hand was polite?"

"Touché, but you should still be nice to me and say please."

She moved around her desk and went to grab the file out of my hands, but I shot up, laughing as I backed up keeping it away from her. She was getting more agitated by the second and it was funny as all get out.

"Just give me the damn file Wade," she scolded, jumping up for it as I held it above my head.

I smirked, pulling her closer with my other arm and kissing her unexpectedly. I was smirking against her, but instead of biting me or pulling away, she kissed back.

That, I was not expecting. I was expecting a full on war, or for her to kick me out, or hit me… something.

I lowered my arm going to wrap it around her waist and that was when she skillfully grabbed the file from my hand. She jumped back, giggling. "Ha!"

I leaned my head against her bookcase, letting out a breath as I laughed. Okay, she had me on that one.

She walked back around her desk and opened the file, starting to read it over again. I looked around for something, anything to do. But there wasn't, and I really didn't want to bug her the entire time she was trying to get stuff done. What she did wasn't like what I did; she saved peoples' lives and for all I knew she was trying to do so for the guy's file she was reading right now.

"Alright, well I think I'm gonna head back to the plantation," I said when I realized there was nothing for me to do here. Screw Lavon, if he wanted to harass me again about last night he could do it over the volume of my guitar amp.

She looked up, brows knit together. "What about waiting til noon?"

"Yea, yanno… I don't really wanna hang in town til it opens up; I didn't have anything to pick up anyway."

"Oh," she replied. "Okay, well I'll see you later."

"Sure," I nodded turning around and heading out.

I loved Sundays. Zoe was at work and Lavon was either at church or doing his own thing, which left me to blast my guitar as loud as I wanted and soak up all the power I could.

I wound up not going back into town and stayed holed up at my place playing music all afternoon and into the evening. Lavon didn't drop by, and neither did Zoe; it was just me, the guitar and my beautiful new amp. Around 8 I heard a car and peeked out to see Lavon heading out in the Navigator. Once he was out of sight, I decided to take a break from playing and grab dinner knowing he wouldn't be around to give me the 3rd degree again.

It was a quick dinner though, since I didn't know where he went off to or when he was planning to be back. And until Zoe talked to me about what happened last night, I didn't want to talk to anyone about it. So after scarfing down a sandwich made of leftover meatloaf, I headed out.

I was halfway to my place when I looked back over at Zoe's. The lights were on but her curtains were drawn. I debated going over there, and finally turned, deciding I had to suck it up and give it one more shot.

I knocked on her door instead of barging in. This wasn't like usual where I didn't care what the hell was going on. I had to show her I could be mature, if I wanted to be.

"Coming!" she shouted, and I heard her moving closer to the door. She threw it open and I almost laughed. She was already changed for bed and her hair was a messy bun on top of her head. "Hey," she sighed, looking surprised to see me.

"Hey can I come in?" I grinned, remembering how she'd asked me the same thing the night before and what it'd let to.

"Wade I told you, last night—"

"Was a onetime thing; Yea, I remember," I finished for her.

"Okay, glad we're clear," she replied, turning around and walking back into her room.

I shut the door behind me, trying to figure out what I wanted to say exactly. Did I want to bring up the night before and try to get her to talk about it again? Did I just want to blurt out the three words? My palms were getting sweaty and I felt like this was my first crush all over again.

And to some extent it kinda was; I had never loved a woman like this before. Women had always wanted me as I was, never asked me to be more, and never thought I could be more. But this one… she kept me on my toes. She pushed me to be better; to not be the douche that got away with everything because I could charm the pants off any girl I met. She didn't fall for it.

And it made me love her that much more because of it, because she had this unfounded faith in me.

She stood in the middle of her room looking at me. Right, she was expecting me to say something. "Everything okay?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

I nodded. "Yea, I um," I started, scratching the back of my head. "I'm working tomorrow night and I was wondering if you wanted to stop by so I could buy you a drink." The minute the words flew out of my mouth I knew I'd said the wrong thing.

She grinned, which was positive. "You usually pay for my drinks."

Oh, right. Shit. I dropped my hand from my head and nodded. "Yea," I took a breath, biting my lip and trying to figure out another way to ask the damn girl out. "I meant can I buy you a drink on my break?" This girl had me six kinds of tongue tied.

Her smile grew and she nodded. "Yea, sure."

I let out a heavy sigh and smirked. She said yes, holy shit. "Well alright then. Seven?"

"I'll be there."

I opened my mouth but decided against saying anything else, just in case I sounded like a jackass again. "Alright, see you tomorrow," I confirmed, turning around and heading outside.

Tomorrow then.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Another chapter! I was planning on finishing up this one after watching Hart of Dixie this week. But after the episode I was completely unmotivated, lol.

Anyway, as a reminder I don't own Hart of Dixie or anything about it. If I did, this week's episode wouldn't have played out like it did and the sneak peak for next week's wouldn't be what it is.

Reviews are love :)

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Wade POV<strong>

I made sure that I had a clean shirt on when I left the house early the next morning for work. I wasn't sure if it would stay that way til 7, but I'd be damned if I didn't try and clean myself up a bit. I mean all the guys she had been into before had worn starched button up shirts so I had to play into it a little. And really, if a new shirt was the bridge that got me to Zoe, I'd run to Walmart and stock up on 'em.

Before parking at the Rammer Jammer, I made a pit stop at Sheri's Flowers. This was what guys did, from what I'd seen on TV anyway; the guy bought a girl flowers and she squealed with happiness. I felt like all of this pre-date prep work was based off of what I thought she'd be expecting of me, which just added the pressure. So, there I was picking up a bouquet of mixed flowers.

"You gonna go see your momma today?" Sheri asked as she rang me up. It was a good question since the only time I bought flowers was when I went to the cemetery to visit my mother's grave. But rather than respond with a lie, or (debatably) worse, tell the truth, I smiled and gave her the cash. "I'll see you later on Sher," I told her, picking up the bouquet and heading out.

"Oh, someone's looking mighty fancy today," Shelley teased as I walked in, putting the flowers under the bar.

"Not really, just a new shirt." Did everyone really think I was that scummy?

"Uh huh, so what's the _reason _for the new shirt? Or should I say, _who_?" It was bad enough when she went on and on about her own love-sex life but when she tried to get dirt on mine it was downright uncomfortable – especially now.

I just shrugged. "No one, it's not a big deal. I just snagged my old white one so I picked this one up."

"Snagged on what? Was it during sex?" She pushed; moving around the room and flipping the chairs back down off the tables. I moved around the counter and started helping her.

"We open in five, we need to speed up so that Breeland doesn't get pissed that his coffee ain't ready. You know how he gets if we open up even five minutes late," I said ignoring her line of questioning.

She scowled but dusted her hands off and headed back to the kitchen. At least that would shut her up for a bit.

Unfortunately her glances were almost as obvious as her questions. Especially when Zoe walked in for her morning cup(s) of coffee.

She wasn't wearing anything I hadn't seen her in before, but seeing her walk in towards me made me loose the air in my lungs. It was like a reminder about what was going down tonight.

"Hey," she smiled, climbing onto the stool across from me.

"Morning doc," I grinned, blinding reaching for a cup. "How's it going?"

She shrugged and nodded. "Pretty good, haven't run into any trouble yet."

"That's too bad," I smirked. "Trouble can be fun."

"Trouble always leads to more trouble. And right now, I need as little as possible."

I turned around, reaching for the pot of coffee and filling her cup. I sat it back in front of her and pulled out the brown sugar for her, and along with it laid the bouquet beside the jar.

"What are these?" she asked, looking from them to me warily.

"Flowers."

"Oh flowers!" Shelley squeaked, taking them off the table and sniffing them. "And they smell fresh. You buy them for Zoe, Wade?" She asked, grinning at me like she knew the answer.

Instead of caving, I just shook my head. "Nope, they were at the main house when I left this morning so I thought I'd bring 'em with me in case the doc had already left for the day. I hear its bad luck to come home to a bundle of dead flowers."

"Who're they from then?" She questioned, searching for a card.

"Who are what from?" I heard Tucker ask as he walked up behind Zoe and took the seat next to her. "Oh, nice flowers Shell."

"They're not mine," she smiled. With the size of her grin you'd _think _they were hers. "They're for Zoe. Wade brought them."

"Yea, they were at the house for her," I added, trying to dodge the question I was sure would have come next.

But his eyes were diverted to Zoe. I hated that he looked at her, how he looked at her. These were the times where I felt for Lemon. Tucker had no idea how obvious his flirtin' with Zoe was; if he did he was the biggest asshole on the planet – stringing along two girls like this. "Oh? Who're they from?"

Zoe shrugged, taking the bouquet from Shelley. "Not sure, there was no note."

"Oh," he smirked. "A secret admirer in town?" He let out a laugh and I wanted to punch him in the kidneys. "That kinda secret won't last long around here. I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

I poured George's coffee into a to-go cup, hoping he'd get the idea and scram.

"Maybe," she smiled. "But it doesn't really matter. Flowers are always nice, especially in my place that always seems so dark inside. Theses will definitely cheer it up."

"Well glad someone has already made your day," he beamed, taking a sip from the container. "I have to go work on some last minute briefs before court, but I'll catch up with you later?"

She nodded, still smiling at him as Shelley walked over to take an order from one of the tables. I clenched my jaw, wiping down the counter and trying not shake it. But how could I? It was obvious they had _something _ going on. Even if it hadn't started yet, there was enough flirting between the two to make it seem like there was something.

He got up, holding the cup of coffee and throwing a couple singles on the bar. "Thanks Wade."

I nodded, grabbing the money. "Yea, see ya." In hell.

The second he started walking her eyes moved back toward me. "You look nice today. Something's different."

"New shirt," I said tugging at my chest.

"You look really nice," she replied before taking a sip of her coffee. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "And thanks for the flowers."

I laughed and shook my head. "I didn't say it was me."

She eyed me and smirked.

"But, if it was, I would say you're welcome." It was hard not to smile like a fucking dope around her, and getting more difficult by the minute, knowing that there might be something real going on between her and me. "But I'm not saying it was."

"Mhm," she hummed, still wearing the same know-it-all grin.

I couldn't take my eyes off her any more than I could wipe the lopsided smile off my face. I'd never felt this way about a girl before and it was throwing me for a curve. But hey, as long as she didn't seem to mind, I wasn't about to try and stop.

"Wade Kinsella," I heard a familiar voice say. I looked up, laughing when I saw one of my exes from high school, Joelle Sugarbaker approach the bar.

"Joelle, mornin', long time no see," I greeted, turning to look at her. She still looked hot as always in her short denim skirt and too tight tank top. She'd always looked older for her age but in a really, really hot way.

"It has," she returned, parking on a seat two away from Zoe.

"Can I get you something?"

"How about you, at your place at noon?" She had never been one for subtleties, and under any other circumstance, any other day, I probably woulda said hell yes. But I glanced at the doc out of the corner of my eye. She was staring at us, well mostly Joelle.

I bit my lip. "Joelle, I appreciate you stopping by, but I can't today. I'm really busy here, working open til close."

She nodded, hopping off the chair in a split second. "No prob. I'm hangin over at my gram's if you change your mind or get a break." She readjusted the strap on her purse and turned around, walking out the door from which she came.

"Well that was…" I trailed off, looking at Zoe who was reaching for the bag she'd slung over the back of the barstool.

"Joelle."

I nodded. "Yea, Joelle."

"Can I grab the next one to go?"

I scrunched up my forehead. "You in a rush? Usually you have two before you run off to save the world."

"Yea, I just want to get back and look over the files of my patients for the day," she spit out rapidly.

"If you say so." I did as she asked, pouring her a second cup to-go and handed it to her. She grabbed it from my hand, carrying the flowers with her other one.

"Thanks again," she smiled, though this one was forced. It was similar to the one she gave Brick when he would give her unwanted advice.

I nodded. "See you tonight?"

"Yea," was all she said before practically running out of the place.

Women.

**ZOE POV**

I wasn't a jealous person by nature, but something about this morning had me on edge. I mean, who the _hell _was Joelle? And why did she feel it was perfectly acceptable to walk into the Rammer Jammer and casually offer sex to Wade?

I groaned at how asinine I was being and laid my head on my desk. I was just stressed, that had to be it. This was my first real date since Judson; I was anxious because of how all of that had turned out. Of course that was why I was acting completely unlike myself. Jealousy was not something I wore well – or at all.

I read through the charts of the three patients I had, trying to calm myself down.

But what if she came back? Wade could always change his mind, have sex with her and be back at work and I'd never know.

"No," I said out loud to myself, scoffing. That wouldn't happen; Wade wouldn't do that… right?

I got through my day fairly quickly. All three patients were back to back – the blessing of having families come in. So by 1:30, I was done for the day.

"Addie," I said, dropping the last file on her desk. "I'm gonna head back to the plantation. But consider me on call."

"Something wrong Zoe?" She asked, looking up at me with a worried expression.

"No, I'm just tired. I could use a nap and a long bath."

She gave a half hearted smile and nodded. "I'll call you if something comes up with one of your patients."

"Thanks," I sighed, feeling relieved that I could head home guilt-free.

I made it back to the carriage house and immediately turned on all the fans I had. It had to be pushing 90 which was ridiculous; it was winter for goodness sake! Once my room sounded like an airplane hanger, I curled up on my bed. The heat was exhausting, add to it the weirdness of this morning and I was beyond tired.

So it really shouldn't have surprised me that I fell asleep as quickly as I did. When I woke up, the sky had already set. It took me a minute to collect my bearings; though, once I had realized I hadn't slept through an entire 24 hour period I freaked out over the reality.

It was already 6:00 and I had to meet Wade in an hour. I raced around, yanking out things from my closet while I let the shower heat up. Shit, what the hell was I gonna –

I paused mid thought and started laughing. What the hell was I so worked up about? This was _Wade. _ Why was I in panic mode over what to wear to see him? He'd seen me in the full gamut of clothing, from nothing at all to sick and wrapped up in a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers with hair matted to my head from not showering for two days.

I shook my head, heading for the shower to rinse off before getting ready.

Wade. This was only Wade. That's all I had to keep telling myself as I got ready. I didn't fuss about it, but I did remember something he'd said a few weeks back and with a grin reached for the bandage dress he'd said he liked so much.

Effortless and a no-contest winner, how could I go wrong?

I got to the Rammer Jammer ten minutes late because I forgot to calculate how long it would take me to walk there. It wasn't like I could go over and ask Lavon for a ride, especially dressed like this; I'd just be asking for an interrogation.

I pushed through the door, letting out a deep breath and trying to hush the nerves that were moving like a rollercoaster in my stomach.

The mantra of _this is only Wade_ seemed to have worn off, and I took another deep breath as I walked over to the bar. "Hey Wade," I smiled, sitting in front of him. It was hard not to feel reminiscent of the night of the heat wave. I'd been wearing the same dress, sitting in this very seat. Only this time I couldn't blame the weather for why I was here.

"Hey," he smirked. "You're late."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head. "I forgot to set an alarm before I took my nap and when I woke up it was 6. You should be applauding the fact that I made it here _only _ten minutes late."

"Or I could just give you shit for making me think you were standing me up," he teased, pouring me a glass of wine.

"I can still opt out you know," I threatened. I watched him grab a beer and walk down to the end of the bar, out from behind it.

He nudged his head to one of the empty tables. "C'mon."

I grabbed my glass and followed, taking a seat beside him and smiled. "What was wrong with the bar?"

"Nothing," he shrugged. "It's just that if I'm up there people are gonna ask me for drinks. If I'm not at the bar, they won't bug me; they'll go ask Shell."

I laughed, playing with the stem of my glass. "It's like there are two separate worlds dividing the tables and the bar then."

"Pretty much," he grinned, sipping his beer. "So it sounds like you had a pretty relaxing afternoon, napping and all."

"Yea, it was a long nap too. Almost five hours."

He laughed, looking at me in disbelief. "Damn, that's how long I sleep most nights if I'm lucky."

I shrugged, feeling myself blush. "So? That just means you need more sleep."

"Apparently so do you."

"Maybe," I brushed off. This definitely didn't feel like a date. The minute I was actually with Wade, the nerves subsided and it was just he and I talking. The pressure of first dates was out the window and it was… nice. Better than nice.

"So Joelle," I started, finally going for my wine. "She seems… nice."

He nodded, drinking more of his beer. "Yea."

That was it? No further explanation? No inkling as to how they knew each other?

"Very direct."

"Yea, she's always been like that," he continued to agree.

"Always?"

"Pretty much."

"Do you always take her up on it?" I asked, even though he'd turned her down in front of me.

His eyebrows lowered and he smirked. "Are you… jealous?"

"What?" I scoffed. "No, it was just a question."

"Right," he laughed under his breath. He scooted his chair closer to me slightly. "It's okay if you are yanno. I think it's kinda hot."

"Ew, no," I grimaced, even though I had been.

He nodded, not tearing his eyes from mine. "You're a terrible liar doc."

"What's Zoe lyin' about?"

I snapped my head to the right and looked up, seeing George. "Oh hey George."

"Hey Zoe, Wade," he smiled, taking a seat in one of the two available chairs at our table.

"Tucker," Wade greeted, not sounding pleased at all. Then again, he rarely sounded cheery when George was around. It was so strange that they were as good of friends as they appeared to be.

"So what's the allege lie?"

"Nothin," Wade said.

George scrunched his face and looked at me. "Everything alright? Did I interrupt something?"

"What?" I asked, the nerves returning. We hadn't talked about people knowing about this. I mean it was just one date; well it was supposed to have been a date anyway.

"No," Wade and I said in unison. At least we were on the same page with that one.

"I gotta get back," Wade announced, standing up. "Tucker you want a beer?"

"Sure, thanks," he smiled.

"More wine doc?"

His tone was flat and it was obvious he was pissed. And really, it wasn't George's fault. Neither of us had told him to go, and neither of us had told him we were on a date.

I mean, it was like an extended speed date when you think about it. Wade only had a short break; it wasn't like he was gonna walk me to my door and kiss me goodnight or anything.

But I could also see Wade's annoyance. Honestly, I was a bit let down too. If what he and I had been doing the last five minutes was some kind of date, then it was the most easygoing one I'd ever been on.

I shook my head in response to his question. "No thanks."

He walked back behind the bar and George looked back, focused solely on me.

The intensity of it had me blushing.

"I feel like I missed something," he offered up, laughing a little.

"What do you mean?"

"Was there… I mean, Wade's never sat down with you before."

"Oh that," I started, waving it off with my hand. "He was on his break."

"Good, it appeared much different."

"Different?"

He laughed, and nodded. "Yea, I mean you're all dressed to the nines. So it kinda looked like…"

"Like?"

"Like you two were on a date," he finished, laughing harder. "Wow that sounds even more absurd out loud."

I wasn't sure if I was more confused by his relief at me not being on a date with Wade, or the subtle jab at Wade and I being on a date. "Why's that?"

"Because it's weird to think about. I mean you two are always at it."

If he only knew how much we had been _at it _the other night. "Yea, I guess when you put it like that, it's weird."

He shook his head, looking over his shoulder at Wade before turning back to me and ducking his head to muffle his voice. "Wade is a good guy, Zoe, but he's not the right kinda guy if you get what I mean."

"No, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean – since there's nothing going on."

"Wade is a really good friend, and I'd catch a bullet for him. But when it comes to him and women he's not the kind of a guy a girl like you wants to get mixed up with. I mean you deserve more than a guy that has dated more than two sets of twins at the same time and freeloads off the mayor for a place to live. I'm not saying Wade's a bad guy, but he's not the kind of guy you deserve."

I looked over at Wade who was staring at us, his jaw locked. "Listen can we take this conversation elsewhere?"

George looked a little stunned at my request but nodded. "Sure, of course."

We both stood and headed for the door. There was always drama going on in Bluebell, and it felt like it was always tethered to me.

We walked half a block down and stopped at his pick up. Where the hell did he get off? "So what's that leave me with George? What kind of guy?" I spat out, hostility ringing clear. He had no right to cast judgment on anyone I saw; he had Lemon. He had no authority to dictate who I should and shouldn't see.

He looked down at me, watching me carefully as he took a calculated step closer. "Someone that can offer you a lot more, be a lot more for you Zoe," he murmured. His head dipped down, and I don't know why I let it happen, but my body reacted and our lips met.

But there was no pop. No sizzle. I pulled back looking at him. This was all wrong. He should be with Lemon, not swooping in and trying to play Prince Charming when I didn't need rescuing. And I was on the wrong date; kissing the wrong guy only I hadn't realized it before then.

George and I were trapped in this snow globe, divided between New York and Bluebell. Before today I had thought that George was as close to perfect that a girl like me could ever think to find. He understood what it meant to feel torn between two places that were polar opposite. He knew what it felt like to feel stuck here, but also how claustrophobic the city could seem. I had allowed myself to believe that our common longings for place and time were enough; that any other outside forces didn't matter: not Lemon, not whatever was happening with Wade. I'd been chasing home and I'd personified New York somewhere in George because he'd lived there once upon a time.

But the dream was popped. He didn't light my body on fire when he kissed me the way Wade had. He was a great guy, but almost too similar to me; too similar to the serious parts of me – the New York Zoe. While on the opposite end of the spectrum was Wade, who fed into the carefree side of me I hadn't known existed. He pushed me to live my life, not just to sit idly by and allow how much I loved my job to be an excuse to shut myself off from everything else the world had to offer. Both guys had their own set of strengths, and both were amazing in their respective ways, but Wade…

As bad for me as he might be for me on paper, he was what I wanted. And despite pining after George the past few months, I had been able to (moderately) tolerate seeing him with Lemon, in spite of my personal feelings about her. But watching Joelle merely approach Wade earlier had felt like getting punched in the stomach. That was the difference; I wanted the idea of George, but I needed the Wade that was in front of me.

"… deserve a guy, a man that can provide for you if you wanted. That would marry you and respect you and love you; the kind of man that is respectable and that you can depend on. The kind that you could settle down with and have a family with… all of it, the American dreams," George said, snapping me out of my own epiphany.

I shook my head, taking a step back. "I appreciate the concern George, but honestly, you don't really know me." I managed to say. "And you don't know what I want. Maybe I'm not ready to have a family, or settle down." I took a deep breath, looking past him to the neon sign for the Rammer Jammer. "But it's late. You should get home to Lemon."

His face went from one of concern to ambivalence. "Yea, you're probably right. Do you need a ride home?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm gonna walk; it's a nice night out."

"Well have a good night then," he said, giving me a short nod. "I'll see you soon."

I smiled a little and waved as he clamored into his truck. I didn't wait for him to take off before starting towards the plantation.

I'd gotten a goodnight kiss after all. Only it was from the wrong guy.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: So way back when there was an all Wade point-of-view chapter. This one is all Zoe.

I'm wrapping it up at almost 2am, un-beta'd so I apologize for any grammar/spelling errors but I really wanted to get this up for everyone.

Enjoy! And as always reviews = love

Disclaimer: still don't own anything Hart of Dixie related. Never have, never will.

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><p><strong>Zoe POV<strong>

I took my time getting home. My brain ran through the evening over and over in jerked segments like a movie taken on a vintage reel.

I made it home and went inside, falling backwards into the chair facing my bed. I groaned as I felt the heat that had been pressurizing from having all of the windows shut seep into my bare skin even though it was nearing 9; it felt hotter inside than it did out.

I was going to wind up dead from having melted, never having anything but one bad relationship after another, and not even having a cat. I wouldn't even make it to cat lady status, that's how far behind I was in life – and how bad I was with men.

After a few minutes of berating myself with self-pity, I stood up and headed for the bathroom, taking a cold shower and changing into a pair of shorts and a tank top. It was getting late, but it felt like I never went to bed at a normal hour anymore. Whether it was from run of the mill insomnia, or (in this case) self-induced night owl-ness because I napped the afternoon away, my sleep schedule had been off since coming back from Thanksgiving.

I walked out and sat on my porch, just below the new bug zapper Wade had installed and listened as each insect flew towards the light and BZZZZT! It wasn't as annoying when my mind was racing. What the hell was I going to tell Wade? I knew I didn't really owe him an apology or an explanation, but I felt like I did. I had the same kind of knots in my stomach now that I had the first, last and only time I stole something – bubblegum I was nine.

My eyes were trained on the entrance to the estate, and I counted down until I saw Wade's car roll through. I lifted my arm, giving him a short wave but in the cover of night I couldn't see if he returned the gesture or even saw me. If he had, he thought it didn't matter because rather than detouring to my place he continued to drive straight towards his.

I stood up and went inside, sliding on a pair of flip fops and grabbing my cell phone along with a flashlight. There was no question in my mind that I couldn't just sit here; I had to go over there.

I walked across the expansive yard, darting my flashlight back and forth for any sign of Burt Reynolds or any other creature that might want to jump out and attack. Fortunately, I made it in one pieces without so much as seeing a spider.

I knocked a couple times on his door. "Wade?" I could hear him moving around, but there was no answer. I knocked again, this time raising my voice, _"Wade open the door, it's Zoe."_ I took a step back and waited, but the only reaction I received was the crackle of him plugging his guitar into in his amp and starting to play.

God this was frustrating, and adding to my anxiety since I still wasn't entirely sure what I was going to say.

I pulled open his screen door and slowly pushed on his front door, stepping through after I found it unlocked. I walked through, seeing him on his couch, staring at the strings as he played.

"Hey," I said the apprehensiveness unmistakable.

He turned, finally acknowledging that I was there and nodded. "Evening doc."

"Hey," I whispered again, though there was no reason to. It was just us here – at least I hoped so. I moved carefully towards him and sat on the coffee table across from where he was sprawled in the middle of the sofa.

"What are you doing here? Thought you and Golden Boy went off somewhere."

I cringed internally at what it must have looked like to him; then I winced even more when I recalled what had transpired. "Just outside." I didn't want to go into any other details. I had a feeling he'd already assumed enough, and I already felt like an idiot. All he'd do was scold me, or leave, like he usually did when George's name came up in conversation.

He scoffed, shaking his head as he looked down at his guitar smirking. "You sure as hell take me for an idiot."

"What?" I was quick to argue.

"You've been into Tucker since the second you got here, and you expect me to believe that you two just _went outside _after he interrupted our date and you never came back? Jesus Zoe…" he scolded, moving the guitar to the side. His eyes shot up at me and his face was tight, clenched. "I ask you out on a date, and you start off on it with me, but end it with him."

I looked down at my lap, ashamed because what he said –at face value- was true. "I didn't mean for it to happen like that, it just… he was getting on my case and I didn't want to make a scene."

"Right, the Chosen One was giving you shit," he huffed with a tone seething with sarcasm. "That's rich."

"He basically said he could tell we were on a date," I told him truthfully, finally looking up at him.

He bounced his head back and forth as if knowing what was coming. "So you dragged him out to explain that wasn't the case."

"No, I dragged him out because…" I shut my eyes. I was never good at deciding when the truth was best said versus best kept hidden.

"Because?" Wade pressed.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes slowly. "Because he started lecturing me on the kind of guy I should be with and I didn't want to argue with him in front of everyone that was there."

His lip curved and his eyebrows narrowed. "How did the topic even come up. We told him nothin' was going on."

"He made an observation based on the fact that we weren't at the bar and I was dressed up," I shrugged.

Wade's jaw line grew more pronounced. "So George Tucker was telling you who you should be with? What a fuck-"

"And that's why I told him we should go outside," I continued to explain.

"Well what did he tell you?"

"He said I deserved someone who would love, respect, and provide for me. I think he was hinting at the stereotype of the American Dream from the past." I didn't mention every harsh word he'd said about his friend in the process.

Wade nodded, looking down at the floor for a split second. It looked like he was processing the statement to see if it made sense. "That sounds about right."

"Yea, and that might be what all the girls around here want, but I'm not sure."

He glanced up at me, crow's feet forming on the edges of his eyes as he squinted and cocked his head to the side. "You don't want that stuff?"

"Well, I want some of it sure, down the road," I acknowledged with a nod. "But there's so much pressure I think, to have it all and to maintain it perfectly. I know that's how it was for my parents. It was always about appearances; we had to look like a happy family. I don't want that; I don't want to ever be in a relationship where I have to pretend."

"Well you deserve that Zoe, I mean it. You deserve a guy that'll give you the whole shebang. You shouldn't ever settle or feel like you have to pretend for a guy."

"Thanks Wade," I replied softly, smiling a little.

He nodded and let out a slow exhale. "So how'd you two leave it then?"

I shrugged. "I told him that I wasn't sure that I even wanted everything he was saying I deserved and then I told him he should go home."

"And did he?" His eyes gave him away a little as they grew bigger. They seemed curious but… hopeful?

My smile grew and I nodded. "He did, and then I walked back here."

He bit his lip, looking at me before casting his eyes to the side. "I'm not going to ever be able to give you everything doc. I'm not a lawyer like Tucker, or a vet like Judson…" He looked back at me before continuing. "I mean, I work at a _bar_."

I laughed quietly under my breath and moved to sit in the small space between him and the arm of the couch. "I'm well aware of what you do."

His face turned, watching me. "Yea but you know what I mean. I'll never be able to give you things that they can, like guys with fancy jobs can."

"I don't need that stuff," I murmured. "Though I'd like to go on a date and not be interrupted," I teased.

He finally cracked a smile and nodded. "That I can do." But the smile didn't last long, and he sighed. "I'm sorry about tonight. It was a stupid idea thinking we could have a real date on my break. I just, I wanted you to know that I wanted it to happen and I didn't want to wait because I probably woulda chickened out."

I felt my cheeks get warm from the uncharacteristic apology and confession. "It's okay; I'm terrible at dating too. Plus, if it helps, I was having a great time."

The half grin that always seemed to give my body a reaction resurfaced and he nodded. "Me too."

I leaned in a little, my heart already pounding out of my chest. I'd kissed him tens of time already and yet the idea of kissing him again gave me the same butterflies. He let out a sigh, his smile growing as he leaned in. I felt one of his hands push my hair back and cup my neck and I let out a fit of quiet church giggles.

"You done yet?" He teased after a few seconds.

I nodded even though they weren't subsiding.

"Good."

And this kiss was everything I'd remembered. Everything I'd expected the one with George to feel like.

Only it wasn't. It was Wade who lit the fire under me; that infuriated me and made me laugh and roll my eyes. And even with his reputation, he had this way (even before we'd slept together) of making me feel like whatever we had was something all our own, completely indefinable but solid. And it felt like it was something just as foreign to me as it was to him.

I pulled back, needing air and smiled. "It's late."

He nodded, pulling further back. "Yea and you have an early morning."

"I do," I agreed, standing up and grabbing his hand. "So we should go to my place and call it a night."

He smirked, squeezing my hand and practically jumping up. "We should huh?"

I rolled my eyes, laughing at how his words were aloof but his actions were eager.

I opened the door and we dropped our clasped hands, though I walked closely beside him. So what if I was still scared of Burt Reynolds. He was a fucking alligator!

We made it up the porch steps and into my place where Wade locked up and I moved into my bedroom, peeling off my shorts.

He moved closer but stood in the doorway, gnawing on his lip.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked, freezing in place.

He scratched the back of his neck and looked out the window before looking back at me and speaking. "There's something I need to say, and you may not like it or wanna hear it, but I think I just have to be a hundred percent clear and get it out."

I moved closer to him, concerned with his sudden change in demeanor. "What is it?"

"Well see, the thing is…I love you."


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up. I went on vacation and just had a chance to finish it.

I still own nothing HoD related and I still love reviews (it's what keeps this fic going!)

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><p><strong>Wade POV<strong>

_Well see the thing is… I love you_

I'd gotten it out, and I'd meant it. After seeing her walk out with George Tucker there had been no way I could keep denying it. It had killed me, watching her leave like she had, wondering what the two of them were getting up to. Wondering why she was in such a hurry to get him outside – and alone.

Of course now that I knew why, it didn't bug me (as much) but it didn't make me forget how it had crushed me to feel like he had snatched my date right from under my nose.

And I'd liked girls before, hell I'd even cared about Tance enough to think I'd been in love with her once upon a time. But that was nothing compared to this. With Tancy, it had been one adventure after another; wild sex, reckless behavior, minimal responsibility and maximum fun. But would I have cared if she cheated? Probably, but only because it would have hurt my pride to know I couldn't satisfy her enough that she had to get it from someone else.

With Zoe though, I didn't even want to _think _about her with someone else. I didn't want to picture her goofing off with another guy, like we did. I didn't like the idea of another man kissing her or taking her out on date. Sure, she could be stuffy and act holier-than-thou which was fucking annoying, but she was also funny when she let herself let go. And she was beautiful.

And above all else, she was real. Even if part of her being so genuine meant she was a real bitch sometimes.

I shoved my hands into my pockets, anxious to look at her for the immediate reaction but too worried to look anywhere else.

She looked like how I felt when I first realized it wasn't just that I wanted to get her into bed. Her eyes were bigger than usual and her mouth was slightly agape. "Say somethin' doc," I chuckled out nervously.

She spoke softly, as if I'd be scared off by what she was saying. "You're in love with me?"

I nodded slowly, casting my eyes down at the floor and letting the words sink in again. She wasn't saying it back, and even though I'd expected as much there was a bit of tightness in my chest at the one sided-ness of it all. I'd never been on this end before. "Yea, yea I am."

"Really?" Her tone was completely different this time. It was like it was hitting her and she couldn't believe it. The question was asked with more firmness but she sounded even more confused. As if it was something completely impossible to imagine.

I puffed out a laugh, looking up at her. "How many times do I have to say yes before it registers doc? I thought you were the smart one in the room."

She was smiling a little but looked petrified, like a scared deer. I had to do something.

"Listen Zoe, there's no pressure here," I replied, lifting a hand up. "I probably shouldn't have even said anything. It was a stupid…" I shook my head. "It was just stupid."

She shrugged, biting her bottom lip before responding. "It's not stupid if that's how you feel. It's just…" Her eyes widened again. "It's love. That's a big deal yanno?" She was nodding like she was still processing it.

I chuckled, the nerves getting the best of me and nodded in agreement. "Yea, you're telling me."

"I mean… it's _love_.People don't just go around saying that kind of stuff. It's one of the few words out there that still carries a lot of weight to some people. Not like swearing… did you hear that I heard Ms. Beverely's seven year old say the word 'shit' this afternoon? He's seven! I was still laughing at the word poop at his age. But nope, not him; this kid, this new generation… they don't value words."

She wasn't making much sense, but I was thankful she was talking. I turned the corner of my mouth up into a grin. "Yea, he's a real rebel."

"He is! He'll probably tell every girl he meets he loves them when he gets old enough. The only hope I have is that the girls he falls for have as little consideration for vocabulary as he does."

I laughed, closing the gap between us. "It'll be a travesty to all the first graders in town I'm sure… in about ten years."

She nodded, looking up at me. "It will be. Think of all the heartbreak, all the devastation."

"Then I guess it's a good thing that _I_ have the emotional maturity of someone out of elementary school," I smirked. I was trying to make her feel better, but she seemed dead set on being flustered. This woman was killing me.

She finally let out a short quiet burst of laughter. "Is there anyone that can back up that claim?"

I knew she was joking and so I decided not to take it as a question of if I'd been sincere. She wouldn't have seemed so caught off guard if she thought I was fucking with her. "No but my moments of adulthood I play close to the vest."

"No kidding?" She smirked, taking a step back and lacing her fingers through mine.

I looked down at our joined hands and squeezed. "Guess you don't need the night to over analyze this little conversation."

She clamped her lips and I knew I had her number. "No, you're not the only one who is emotionally mature."

"Uh huh," I teased as I dipped my head down to give her a quick kiss. "You keep tellin' yourself that doc."

She rolled her eyes and tugged me towards her bed. "Don't press your luck cowboy; I could change my mind."

My confidence was returning as our back and forth banter returned to normal. "Yea," I acknowledged, pushing her hair off her right shoulder and starting to move my lips over her neck. "But why would you want to."

I heard her sigh and felt her relax against me. "Because you're being a dick."

"Am I?" I mumbled, sliding the strap of her tiny tank top to the side.

"Mhm." She moaned as I nipped at her collar bone, my hand releasing from hers and pushing the fabric of her shirt up.

I laughed against her skin, dropping my hands to her hips to lift her and carefully place her on the bed.

"Then allow me to rectify that opinion," I murmured, hovering over her.

**Zoe POV**

I knew I was smarter than Wade. But I may have jumped the gun when I told him that I was just as emotionally mature as he was.

Because it wasn't – isn't – true.

I weaved in and out of sleep that night, torn between the comfort and safety I felt by his presence and his five worded confession. Why did _in love _ seem to mean so much more than just _love_?

So, despite what I'd told him, I poured over what he'd said. I raked over it with a fine tooth comb; moreover I wondered why I couldn't say it back. It wasn't like I hadn't come to the same conclusion. By morning, the best I could surmise was that it was just too fast. We'd only known each other a few months and hadn't even been on a proper date. I'd been with my ex for _years _and had never been in love, so how could it be happening after such a short duration? It just wasn't possible.

I'd already been up a few minutes when my alarm went off and I felt Wade stir under me, pulling me tighter against his chest. "You're alarm clock is fucking loud doc," he groaned, releasing his left arm to slap it shut. "When was the last time you had your hearing checked?"

"Ha. Ha," I laughed sarcastically, looking up at him. "At least mine doesn't play death metal."

"No it plays pop, which can lead to bleeding of the ears."

His eyes flickered open and he smirked, pulling me up and kissing me soundly. I hated that he could disarm me with kisses like these. I moaned into his mouth and he rolled us over, sliding his hand down the side of my body slowly. He seemed to be able to pay attention to everything at once – the perfect way to kiss me, and how to make me feel like he was paying reverence to the small dips and curves of my body.

"Do you have time?" he whispered, rubbing his nose against my earlobe. His hand had already found its way to my thigh and had hitched it up to his hip. There was no question as to what he was referring to.

I tried not to giggle because all of this, feeling this adored and wanted was completely foreign to me (but incredible – not that I'd admit it). So I bit my lip until I felt like the desire to laugh had subsided, and nodded. "Yea, I have time."

I felt him smile as he pressed his lips against my neck and he wasted no time, which was great because I really didn't have time to spare – but I'd make it.

He trailed behind me to Lavon's where I was in a rush to get my morning coffee, hopefully find a muffin or something equally as transportable for breakfast and be on my way.

Lavon was stirring up some kind of egg scramble when I walked in. The smell of freshly brewed coffee that was usually the thing that stirred me out of my sleepy fog was merely just a strong scent this morning. This morning something, someone, better had woke me up.

"Morning," I smiled, trying my best to remain subdue as I reached for a coffee cup.

"Mornin' Zoe," he replied, looking over at the door as Wade walked in. "Wade."

"Mornin Mayor," he returned, reaching into the fridge and turning to flash me what I now deemed an infamous chesire grin. I bit my lip, trying to contain my smile.

"Where'd you get off to? I came by your place this mornin' to see if you could set up the projector for my 10am meetin' and no one answered."

Wade turned around, carton of orange juice in hand and shrugged. "I spent the night with a lady friend. I didn't realize I had a curfew to abide by," he laughed off.

I poured my cup of coffee, staying focused on the cup and trying not to give anything away. Lavon had this uncanny way of being able to read me like a book and the last thing I needed was to give us away.

Wade moved past him and reached over me for a glass. "Pardon me princess," he teased, his hand that right hand that was shielded by our bodies gliding from my waist down to my hip. Fuck didn't he know he had to be more discrete?

However, Lavon didn't seem to notice in the least. "But your car was parked when I went by," he pushed, shutting off the stove and plating his eggs.

I froze and I felt Wade drop his hand. "Uh, yea… well she drove."

My eyes finally left my cup and I turned to look at Lavon to see if he bought it. His eyes narrowed, and he looked between us. It was a long few seconds before he lifted a finger and darted it back and forth between Wade and I. "Nooo… no…."

My eyes widened and I was trying to think of how to deny it without it sounding like a flat out lie when Wade spoke first.

"No what, Lavon?"

"No to you. You weren't just at some girl's house. You were here, at _her_ house," he stated matter of factly, pointing at me.

"You've lost your marbles, you know that?" He argued, finally stepping away from me and walking around to grab the box of Lucky Charms off the counter on the opposite side of the sink.

"No, Lavon Hayes has his wits about him."

"Oh really? Only crazy people talk in third person."

Lavon shook his head, turning to me. "Zoe? You gonna be straight with me?"

I had been so wrapped up in watching them bicker, his sudden turn caught me completely off guard. "I… uh…"

"Listen, I don't care what the hell you two do," he sighed, shaking his head. "We're all adults here." He paused, looking at Wade. "Well, in theory."

"Hey, I resent that."

Lavon rolled his eyes, continuing. "So I say Godspeed to you both, I just don't want you two lying to me, and then crawling to me crying if it all goes to hell."

Which it probably would, because Wade and I were incompatible in _every _way.

I nodded, grabbing my coffee and heading for the door. "Well, this has been fun," I sighed. "I'll see you guys later."

I was out the door as I heard them shout out goodbyes.

So much for a stress-free morning.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N:

Here's another chapter. It took me awhile to post because to be honest, with no new episodes I wasn't feeling very creative. But here it is!

As always, I own nothing HoD related. Reviews are great - I love getting feedback so feel free to leave one or send me a PM :)

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><p><strong>Wade POV<strong>

"What the hell are you doing?" Lavon continued after Zoe had left. Smart woman that she was had fled as soon as she saw the chance.

I held up a hand as I reached into the fridge for milk for my cereal. "Just chill Lavon, alright? It's fine."

"It most certainly is not fine."

"And why's that?" I sighed, pouring the milk into my bowl and glancing up at him.

"Do I really have to spell it out? Everyone in town may know you Wade Kinsella but that girl is as green as grass in the spring."

I scoffed "So what? The doc is an adult."

"And you're a man-child, with a reputation for being a heartbreaker – to put it mildly," he spat out. Jesus, how many times was he going to call me immature this morning? I got the fucking picture. "I don't want to see Zoe get hurt because you can't keep to just her in your love den."

"Love den?" I laughed. "Nice one." I shoveled a spoonful of cereal into my mouth.

His jaw set and his eyes narrowed. "I'm serious Wade. She's a good person and a close friend."

"And what, I'm chopped liver?"

"No, but I don't worry about her achey-breaking your heart."

Maybe you should I thought, but kept it to myself. There was no need to repeat _any _of what I'd told the doc last night to the mayor. "I appreciate the vote of confidence."

He took a deep breath. "Listen Wade, you're a good guy. But if you're serious about being with Zoe than you need to drop the child bit and just be a man."

"I get it Lavon, I'm way out of her league."

"That's not what I'm sayin' at all boy. What I'm sayin is you gotta stop with the name calling and treat her like you two are both adults. You gotta show her you're serious for her to take you seriously."

"I'm pretty sure I've treated her like an adult," I smirked.

He rolled his eyes and wagged his finger at me. "That, right there. That's what needs to stop because one, it's immature and two because I really don't want to hear anything about what goes on in your bedrooms. Plus Zoe doesn't seem like the kind of person who wants her private life aired out for the town to hear about."

I tried to come up with an argument but he was right, at least about the part where her insinuated that the doc would probably castrate me if I told anyone about our (incredible) sex life.

"Fine," I finally conceded. "You win. I give up; I'm a childish man-slut." I walked over to the overstuffed chairs and fell onto one, bowl of cereal in hand.

"But you can change if it's something you want badly enough," he said, following me with his plate of eggs. "But it ain't gonna be easy. It's gonna take dedicated effort."

I sighed, spooning up another bit of cereal. "A leopard can't change its spots, Lavon."

"Good thing you aren't a feline then."

**Zoe POV**

I could focus. I should focus. I _had _to focus.

On something other than what was slowly becoming the dramatic tales of my own personal life. I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose as I tried my best to stop thinking about it.

Wade was in love with me. Lavon knew we were together. I didn't know if what I was feeling for Wade was love or just the early onset of complete infatuation; I was utterly inept when it came to relationships.

And then there was George, which was an entirely different issue. He had kissed me. He was with Lemon and he had kissed me. Even though it helped to solidify that whatever it was Wade and I had was more intense, more necessary than whatever fantasy I had built up of George and I, the fact remained that it was both meaningless and potent all at once. That I hadn't told Wade about it last night, just added to how dangerous of a secret it was. I should have told him; I should have just gotten everything out in the open when I had the chance.

But what was everything, exactly?

That I loved him? That I thought I did? That I didn't know what I felt? All of it sounded like a bad idea, and made my stomach churn. I didn't want Wade to think I was saying it back because he'd said it and because I wasn't 100% sure myself. I didn't want to say I thought I might be because it sounded flippant and saying that I was completely unsure of my feelings made it seem like I doubted this whole thing.

It had all gotten so complicated, so quickly.

My morning dragged. I treated Mrs. Avery for some lower back pain she was having, but other than that the office was quiet. I'd been left to my own devices.

And for me, that meant getting as much caffeine in my bloodstream as I could take.

Going to the Rammer Jammer was probably one of the last things I should have been doing, but it was practically the only coffee in town, and honestly I was hoping that Wade would assuage some of the anxiety I had over this morning's interaction with Lavon.

"My life has turned into an episode of Dynasty," I lamented, sliding onto one of the barstools within earshot of where Wade was cleaning some glasses.

"What now?" He asked, throwing the towel over his shoulder and reaching for the pot of hot coffee.

I sighed, crossing my arms on the bar top. "You heard me. My life, it's all drama."

He smirked, moving and placing a piping hot cup of liquid gold in front of me. "It's not dramatic doc, it's called havin' a life outside of your job."

I rolled my eyes, watching as he pulled out the small container of brown sugar for me. "It's stressful. Not even med school was this difficult to navigate."

"Probably because you get textbooks and rules for that stuff." He folded his arms leaning in closer to me and giving me that lopsided grin that normally would have made me blush, but not today – not right now. "There are no rules when it comes to life, and there sure as hell aren't any guidebooks."

"Well there should be," I pouted, stirring in my sugar. "For those ill-equipped to handle certain aspects."

He smirked, putting the jar back under the bar. "What? Like fooling around with a guy who has infinite charm?"

I scowled at him; he was taunting me. "_Maybe_," I snapped back.

"Well they do make self help books, and I hear they have therapists to help with problems in the bedroom…" his voice dropped lower. "Though I know that's not really one of the problems."

I couldn't help but laugh a little, sipping my coffee. "You may not think it is," I retorted, raising an eyebrow.

He leaned back, standing up a bit straighter. "I don't recall getting any complaints. In fact, I clearly recall being begged for more…" he trailed off, looking to his right as if thinking of the memory. His face turned playful as his eyes returned to mine. "Of course I'm always up for suggestions. Or additions."

"Ew, gross. Stop it. It's too early for you to be this perverted," I grimaced.

He laughed heartily, shaking his head. "Again, I don't recall being told any of this, this morning."

I tried to hide my blush as my mind flashed to earlier moments in bed. I took a deep breath and another mouthful of coffee before replying. "It's not even noon Wade, and the last thing I want to talk to you about is your sex life."

He nodded, seeming to get the hint that we were in public and this was the _worst _place to talk about what was going on between us. He leaned back down, closer to me and inches from my face. "Fine," he shrugged wiggling his eyebrows. "Let's talk about yours."

I shook my head, unable to suppress the slow smile the spread across my lips. "You're incredulous you know that?"

"What's that? Incredible? I know," He smirked, winking at me before stepping back to refill my cup.

"No, incred- you know, nevermind," I told him, waving off the idea of repeating myself. "I should be heading back just in case someone gets bit by something."

He chuckled and poured what was left of my coffee into a to-go cup. "I get off at 4."

"That's nice," I brushed off, looking around to see if we had any kind of audience. We didn't of course, but it was hard not to be paranoid about something as big as this in a town as small a Bluebell.

"Oh and doc?" He said abruptly as I was fishing out a few bills from my purse. "Don't worry about Lavon. I got everything cleared up this morning. It's all good now."

I let out a heavy breath of relief, pulling my bottom lip between my teeth and fighting a smile. I knew he would come through. I knew I could count on Wade to handle the sticky situation; he'd managed to get me out of too many already since I'd arrived. "Good to know," I nodded, the corners of my mouth pulling into a wider smile as he grinned, seeming proud of what he'd accomplished. Which, in actuality was a whole helluva a lot.

My afternoon continued just as slowly, but at least I wasn't plagued with the gut wrenching stress that I had been in the morning. In the silence of my own conscious, I realized I had to tell Wade about what happened with George. It was going to be tough, but after Wade covered for us, or smoothed things over… or whatever he said to Lavon, I had to tell him. Even if it imploded and whatever this was fizzled, I couldn't lie to Wade and keeping this from him, felt bigger than a lie; it felt like a betrayal.


End file.
